BOY  SCOUTS  at  the 

PANAMA-PACIFIC 
EXPOSITION 

LIEUT.  HOWARD  PAYS  ON 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

THE  PETER  AND  ROSELL  HARVEY 
MEMORIAL  FUND 


1 


They  call  it  the  Arch  of  the  Setting  Sun,"  replied  the 
scout  leader. — Page  125. 


THE  BOY  SCOUTS 

AT  THE 
PANAMA-PACIFIC   EXPOSITION 


BY 

LIEUT.  HOWARD  PAYSON 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  MOTOR  CYCLE  SERIES,"  "THE  BOY  SCOUTS  OP  THE  EAGLE 

PATROL,"  "THE  BOY  SCOUTS  ON  THE  RANGE,"  "THE  BOY  SCOUTS  ANT 

THE  ARMY  AIRSHIP,"  "THE  BOY  SCOUTS'  MOUNTAIN  CAMP,"  "THE 

BOY  SCOUTS  FOR  UNCLE  SAM,"  "THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

PANAMA  CANAL,"   "THE  BOY   SCOUTS  UNDER    FIRE 

IN  MEXICO,"  "THE  BOY  scours  ON  BELGIAN 

BATTLEFIELDS,"  "THE  BOY  SCOUTS  WITH 
THE   ALLIES   IN   FRANCE."    ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 
CHARLES  L.  WRENN 


NEW  YORK 

HURST  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  IMS, 

ME 
HURST  3c  COMPANY 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.     Two  SCOUTS  ON  A  MOTORBOAT 


PACE 

5 


II.     PROMPT  WORK  AND  A  RESCUE     .      .      17 

III.  WHEN  LUCK  CAME  THEIR  WAY  .      .     29 

IV.  A  STUNNING  SURPRISE      ....     41 
V.     HEADED  WEST    .......     53 

VI.     A  FALSE  ALARM     ......     65 

VII.     ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT     ....     77 

VIII.     A  SHOCK  AT  Los  ANGELES     .      .  '  .     89 
IX.     TURNING  THE  TABLES  ON  Two  ROGUES  101 
X.     WITHIN  THE  GATES  OF  THE  FAIR     .    113 
XI.     ROB  DELIVERS  THE  GOODS  . 
XII.    THE   PEOPLE  OF  THE  "ZONE"     . 
A  STRANGE  MEETING  IN  THE  AIR 
FOUR  SCOUTS  IN  THE  WHIRL  . 
TUBBY  Is  OUT  OF  His  ELEMENT   . 
THE  ILLUMINATED  FAIRYLAND 


XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 


XIX. 


125 
137 
149 

161 

173 
185 


PRYING  FINGERS 197 

THE  THIEF  UNDER  THE  BED  .      .      .  209 
AN  ENEMY  OF  THE  PAST     .      .      .      .221 
3 


4  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACK 

XX.     LOTS  OF  EXCITEMENT 233 

XXI.     THE  MAD  DOG  PANIC 247 

XXII.  TAKING  IN  THE  SIGHTS  OF  THE  FAIR  257 

XXIII.  HIRAM  FACES  THE  Music  ....  269 

XXIV.  A  BOY  SCOUT'S  TRIUMPH   ....  282 
XXV.     HOMEWARD  BOUND ;     .  293 


The  Boy  Scouts  at  the 
Panama-Pacific  Exposition. 

CHAPTER   I. 

TWO  SCOUTS  ON  A  MOTORBOAT. 

"Seems  to  me,  Rob,  I  ought  to  know  that  old 
tub  of  a  motorboat  we're  overhauling/' 

"Why,  yes,  Andy,  it's  Captain  Jerry  Martin's 
Sea  Gull.  Time  was  when  she  had  a  reputation 
for  speed,  but  her  engine  is  a  back  number  now/' 

"Huh!  that  must  have  been  away  in  Noah's 
time,  I  reckon,  Rob.  Why,  we  could  make  cir- 
cles around  her,  if  we  chose  to  drive  our  little 
Tramp  to  the  limit." 

"As  we  happen  to  be  in  no  hurry  to-day,  there's 
no  use  making  the  old  skipper  feel  that  his  boat 
is  down  and  out.  With  vacation  opening  up 
before  us,  I've  been  trying  to  settle  on  some 
scheme  for  the  scouts  of  the  Eagle  Patrol  to 

havfc  a  rousing  good  time  this  summer." 

5 


6  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Well,  I  know  where  I'd  be  if  I  had  the  cold 
cash  to  pay  my  expenses;  and,  Rob,  chances  are 
you  feel  the  same  way  about  it." 

"Now,  I  suppose  you're  thinking  of  Tubby 
Hopkins'  great  good  luck  in  having  his  uncle, 
Dr.  Mark  Matthews,  the  famous  globe-trotter, 
carry  him  off  three  days  ago  for  an  extended  trip 
to  the  big  show  out  in  California?" 

"Just  what  was  on  my  mind,  Rob.  I  don't  be- 
lieve I  ever  wished  so  much  for  anything  as  a 
chance  to  hike  away  out  to  the  Pacific.  Noth- 
ing comes  my  way  any  more,  seems  like.  Some 
of  us  scouts  were  lucky  enough  to  have  our  turn 
down  in  Mexico  that  time  Tubby's  uncle  was 
taken  sick,  and  couldn't  get  there  to  meet  his  old 
friend,  General  Villa,  so  as  to  dispose  of  the 
cattle  on  his  ranch  before  they  were  stolen  by 
the  raiding  Mexican  rival  armies.  How  the 
rest  of  the  boys  envied  us  that  glorious  trip, 
Rob!" 

"I  admit  it  was  a  rare  streak  of  good  fortune 
to  have  things  come  our  way  as  they  did,"  the 
boy  named  Rob  remarked,  as  he  gave  a  slight 
turn  to  the  wheel  of  the  bustling  little  motorboat, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  7 

aboard  which  he  and  Andy  were  the  sole  passen- 
gers. "We  ran  up  against  quite  an  interesting 
bunch  of  experiences,  you  remember,  Andy,  that 
none  of  us  will  ever  be  apt  to  forget." 

"As  if  that  wasn't  enough  fun  for  Tubby  and 
Merritt  and  you,"  continued  the  boy  called  Andy 
at  the  wheelsman,  "it  came  about  that  you  all 
got  a  chance  to  go  across  the  water  to  England 
and  Belgium  late  last  summer  on  an  important 
mission  for  Merritt's  family,  and  saw  a  heap  of 
what  was  going  on  in  the  fighting  zone  where 
the  Germans  are  up  against  the  armies  of  France, 
Belgium  and  Great  Britain."  * 

"We've  shaken  hands  with  ourselves  dozens 
of  times  since,  I  give  you  my  word,  Andy,  on 
account  of  that  fine  streak  of  hick.  Yes,  we  did 
encounter  a  whole  lot  of  remarkable  adventures 
over  there,  and  saw  sights  well  never  forget. 
Some  of  them  I  wish  I  could  put  out  of  my 
mind,  because  they  were  mighty  unpleasant.  But 
that  page  is  turned  down,  Andy;  and  now  the 

*  See  "The  Boy  Scouts  on  Belgian  Battlefields,"  also 
"The  Boy  Scouts  with  the  Allies  in  France." 


8  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

next  thing  to  consider  is  what  we  are  going  to 
do  this  summer  to  make  the  time  pass  happily." 

"Oh!  I  suppose  I  shouldn't  complain,"  Andy 
Bowles  continued,  trying  to  smile  away  the  dis- 
contented frown  that  had  settled  across  his  fore- 
head. "Here,  in  this  good  old  Long  Island  town 
of  Hampton,  there  are  lots  of  ways  a  pack  of 
lively  up-to-date  Boy  Scouts  can  have  good 
times  during  vacation.  With  the  big  bay  at  our 
doors,  and  a  bully  little  motorboat  like  this  to 
go  fishing  or  cruising  in,  there's  no  reason  for 
us  not  to  be  hustling  most  of  our  spare  time." 

"Yes,"  Rob  Blake  went  on  to  add,  wishing  to 
soothe  the  ruffled  spirit  of  his  comrade,  "and 
you  know  what  glorious  camping  trips  we  can 
have  with  a  lot  of  the  boys,  just  as  we  used  to  in 
other  summers.  There  is  the  full  Eagle  Patrol, 
except  our  fat  chum,  Tubby,  who's  gone  to  see 
the  sights  of  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition, 
and  Merritt  Crawford,  who  expects  to  be  away 
for  a  month  and  more  with  his  folks." 

"Besides,"  continued  Andy  Bowles,  as  though 
the  fact  gave  him  more  or  less  solid  satisfac- 
tion, "all  the  other  patrols  are  full — eight  each 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  9 

in  the  Hawk,  the  Black  Fox  and  the  Badger, 
with  a  new  one  forming  in  the  bargain.  Boy 
Scout  activities  are  at  flood-tide  around  Hamp- 
ton these  days." 

"One  reason  for  that,  I  take  it,"  mused  the 
skipper  of  the  little  Tramp,  "is  the  fact  that 
through  our  activities  in  the  past  we  have  man- 
aged to  keep  our  troop  in  the  public  eye,  more 
or  less.  People  know  what  the  Eagles  have 
done,  and  on  the  whole  they  favor  their  boys 
joining  the  newer  patrols.  There's  been  a  big 
change  in  the  young  fellows  of  Hampton,  I'm 
told,  since  this  Boy  Scout  movement  first  came 
to  town." 

When  the  young  leader  of  the  Eagle  Patrol 
made  this  modest  assertion,  he  certainly  hit  the 
truth  squarely  on  the  head.  During  the  last 
two  years  the  members  of  the  Eagle  Patrol  had 
made  a  name  for  themselves  in  Boy  Scout  an- 
nals— as  the  new  reader  will  find  out  for  him- 
self if  he  cares  to  read  the  earlier  books  of  this 
fascinating  series. 

Among  other  things  they  had,  through  a 
happy  chance,  become  associated  with  certain 


10  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

scientific  gentlemen  connected  with  the  United 
States  Government,  who  were  experimenting 
with  a  new  and  secret  model  for  a  big  airship 
patterned  somewhat  after  the  famous  Zeppelins 
of  the  Germans. 

On  another  occasion  they  had  been  enabled 
to  assist  in  saving  the  design  of  a  wonderful 
submarine,  also  intended  for  the  use  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  the  secret  of  which  it  appeared  was 
coveted  by  emissaries  of  a  nation  supposed  to  be 
hostile  to  the  United  States,  and  desirous  of 
learning  all  about  such  an  important  discovery 
that  was  apt  to  play  an  important  part  in  future 
ocean  warfare. 

Some  of  the  scouts  later  on  were  given  a 
chance  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  wonderful  canal  that 
was  then  being  dug  across  the  Isthmus  — at  Pan- 
ama ;  and  the  record  of  how  they  made  themselves 
exceedingly  useful  while  down  there  will  always 
be  a  bright  page  in  the  history  of  the  Hampton 
Troop. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  by  Andy 
Bowles,  the  bugler  of  the  troop,  of  the  trip  to 
Mexico,  with  its  attendant  adventures;  and  also 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  11 

of  the  foreign  tour  undertaken  by  several  of  the 
Eagles  on  the  previous  summer,  just  when  hos- 
tilities had  broken  out  between  the  nations  of 
Europe;  and  Belgium,  where  they  were  com- 
pelled to  visit,  was  torn  from  end  to  end  with 
the  mad  struggles  of  warring  factions. 

Yes,  surely  the  Eagles  could  rest  upon  their 
laurels  from  this  time  on,  and  history  would 
accord  them  the  laurel  wreath  as  the  most  en- 
terprising patrol  known  to  the  Boy  Scouts  of 
America. 

Still,  wThat  boy  is  ever  satisfied  with  what  has 
happened  in  the  past  ?  The  present  and  the  near 
future  is  what  engages  his  attention  and  excites 
his  interest.  Even  sensible  Rob  Blake  secretly 
sighed  when  he  contemplated  having  to  put  in  the 
whole  summer  around  the  home  town  while 
Tubby  Hopkins  was  having  such  a  glorious  time 
out  there  on  the  Coast ;  and  his  other  chum,  Mer- 
ritt  Crawford,  was  up  in  Canada  with  his  folks  at 
a  camp. 

It  was  a  beautiful  and  warm  day  in  the  early 
summer.  The  sun  shone  from  an  unclouded  sky, 
but  there  was  enough  sea  breeze  to  fan  their 


12  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

heated  brows,  and  to  make  them  think  that  there 
could  be  few  things  equal  to  being  in  a  speedy 
little  motorboat,  spinning  over  the  surface  of 
that  lovely  land-locked  bay,  with  the  ocean  boom- 
ing on  the  outer  edge  of  the  sandy  strip  to  the 
south. 

They  could  have  quite  an  extended  view  from 
far  out  in  the  bay,  with  the  houses  scattered 
along  the  shore,  and  the  white  sails  of  pleasure 
craft  or  fishing  and  clamming  boats  dotting  the 
water  far  and  near. 

Just  ahead  of  them  the  old  launch  that  had 
seen  better  days  was  churning  up  the  water  with 
its  noisy  propeller,  though  not  making  remark- 
able headway  at  that.  As  the  two  scouts  grad- 
ually drew  up  on  the  Sea  Gull,  they  made  out 
that  besides  the  ancient  skipper  there  was  just 
one  passenger  aboard. 

"Why,"  said  Andy  Bowles  presently,  as  this 
person  chanced  to  turn  his  face  toward  them 
by  accident,  "that  must  be  the  old  gent  I  saw 
drop  off  the  nine-thirty  train  from  New  York 
this  morning  when  I  was  heading  for  your 
house.;  Yes,  and  now  I  think  of  it,  I  heard  him 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  13 

ask  Dan  Trotter  at  the  station  where  Judge 
Collins  lived,  and  how  he  could  get  to  his  house 
at  the  Point." 

"Some  friend  of  the  Judge,  then,"  suggested 
Rob;  "and  I  guess  he  has  a  host  of  them  here 
and  abroad;  for  he's  wealthy,  and  interested  in 
all  sorts  of  scientific  matters.  They  say  that  at 
his  city  house  in  the  winter  he  entertains,  at 
times,  all  the  big  guns  from  the  different  colleges 
of  the  world." 

"Which  reminds  me,  Rob.  There  was  an  odd 
twang  in  this  old  fellow's  manner  of  speech 
that  made  me  think  of  Sandy  Ferguson,  the 
Scotchman  who  has  the  bagpipes,  you  remember, 
and  always  insists  in  marching  in  all  the  parades 
in  Hampton." 

"Then,  perhaps,  he's  some  famous  Scotch  pro- 
fessor," observed  the  skipper  of  the  Tramp, 
"who  wants  to  see  the  judge  so  much  that  he's 
chased  away  out  here  to  his  summer  home  on 
invitation." 

"He  has  a  red  face,  wears  big  glasses,  and 
is  scrawny  enough  for  a  Scotchman,  anyway," 
chuckled  Andy,  "but  do  you  know  I  always  like 


14  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

to  listen  to  one  of  the  Highland  folks  talk.  It 
was  the  'burr'  in  his  speech  that  made  me  stop 
and  listen  as  far  as  I  did.  He's  got  it  down 
pat,  Rob/' 

"Don't  say  anything  more  now,  Andy;  we're 
drawing  up  pretty  close,  and  he  might  not  like 
it  if  he  thought  we  were  talking  about  him.  That 
old  motor  does  make  lots  of  noise,  but  some- 
times it  misses,  and  then  there's  a  lapse,  you 
know." 

"But  they're  heading  straight  for  the  Point 
where  the  Collins  Castle  is  located,  you  notice, 
Rob,  so  I  guess  Cap.  Jerry  is  ferrying  him 
across.  I  only  hope  the  old  tub  doesn't  take  a 
notion  to  founder  before  it  gets  to  the  dock  a 
mile  away  from  here." 

"Oh!  it's  stood  lots  of  pounding,  and  only 
has  to  be  bailed  out  frequently  on  account  of 
leaking  like  a  sieve,"  Rob  said  in  a  low  tone. 
"Jerry  has  all  that  down  to  a  fine  point,  and 
just  once  in  so  often  he  gets  busy  and  lowers 
the  bilge  water  with  the  pump  he  keeps  rigged 
handy." 

"Excuse  me  from  running  around  in  such  a 


1'AXAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  15 

trap/'  muttered  Andy,  who  was  rather  inclined 
to  be  "fussy"  with  regard  to  everything  he  han- 
dled, and  tried  to  have  his  possessions  kept  up 
to  top-notch  condition — what  he  himself  called 
"apple-pie  shape/' 

"The  professor  is  like  most  Englishmen,  for 
he  loves  his  pipe,"  remarked  Rob,  as  he  watched 
the  passenger  aboard  the  old  launch  filling  his 
little  black  pipe  with  tobacco  taken  from  a  rub- 
ber pouch.  "I  hope,  when  he  strikes  that  match, 
and  then  throws  it  away  after  lighting  up,  he 
knows  enough  about  motorboats  to  see  that  it 
goes  overboard,  and  not  into  the  bottom  of  the 
craft.  Sometimes  a  leak  will  spread  a  film  of 
gasolene  over  the  bilge  water,  and  there's  always 
more  or  less  danger  of  an  explosion." 

"Yes,"  added  Andy  seriously,  "there  have 
been  a  number  on  the  bay  the  last  three  seasons, 
and  two  people  that  I  can  remember  were  so 
badly  burned  that  they  died  after  being  res- 
cued." 

Both  of  the  boys  watched  with  more  or  less 
interest,  and  possibly  with  suspended  breath, 
while  the  red- faced  passenger  in  Captain  Jerry's 


16  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

old  launch  puffed  several  times  at  his  pipe,  then 
tossed  the  match  aside. 

"Oh !  it  didn't  go  overboard,  for  a  fact,  Rob !" 
gasped  Andy;  but  there  was  no  time  to  say  an- 
other word,  for  suddenly  they  saw  a  flash  of 
flame  spring  up  aboard  the  old  Sea  Gull,  and 
in  an  instant  it  seemed  as  though  the  launch 
was  aflame  from  stem  to  stern ! 


Suddenly  they  saw  a  flash  of  flame  spring  up  aboard  the 
old  Sea  Gull— Page  16. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  17 


CHAPTER  II. 

PROMPT  WORK,  AND  A 


Fortunately  Rob  Blake  had  wonderful  pres- 
ence of  mind  in  a  sudden  emergency.  Some 
boys  would  have  been  so  badly  shocked  by  what 
was  happening  near  at  hand,  that  for  the  time 
being,  they  must  have  been  unable  to  make  any 
move  toward  rendering  first  aid  to  the  afflicted. 

No  sooner  did  the  leader  of  the  Eagle  Patrol 
see  that  terrible  outburst  of  fire  than  he  started 
his  little  motor  on  at  full  speed,  heading  straight 
toward  the  imperiled  launch. 

"Quick!  get  hold  of  that  fire  extinguisher  we 
carry  !"  he  called  out  to  his  companion,  who 
was  staring,  with  open  mouth  and  awe-filled  eyes, 
at  the  scene  of  commotion  close  by. 

"But,  Rob,  will  the  fluid  put  out  a  gasolene 
fire?"  exclaimed  Andy,  though  at  the  same  time 
hastening  to  throw  back  the  lid  of  a  locker  and 
snatch  out  the  brass  tube  which  had  been  lying 
there  for  just  such  a  time  of  sudden  need. 


18  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Yes,  that's  one  of  its  best  uses,"  Rob  told  him 
hastily.  "It  seems  to  form  a  coating  over  every- 
thing it  touches  that  the  fire  can't  break  through. 
It  kills  fire.  That's  where  it  gets  its  name.  Be 
ready  now  to  make  use  of  it  when  we  come  up 
as  close  as  I  dare  go." 

"Both  of  the  men  are  overboard,  Rob!"  an- 
nounced Andy  excitedly,  "and  hanging  on  to 
the  side  of  the  boat.  Wow!  but  isn't  she  blaz- 
ing, though  ?  I  can  begin  to  feel  the  fierce  heat 
even  here!" 

"Ready  to  get  busy  now!"  cried  the  skipper, 
as  he  manipulated  his  engine  in  such  a  way  as 
to  reverse  the  propeller,  and  bring  the  Tramp 
to  a  stop  close  to  the  blazing  launch. 

Andy  was  no  coward,  and  could  keep  a  pretty 
level  head  when  it  came  down  to  doing  things; 
though  often  he  had  to  be  told  what  to  attempt 
by  someone  more  masterful  than  himself.  As 
soon  as  Rob  shouted  to  him  to  start  operations, 
he  worked  the  fire  extinguisher  with  might  and 
main,  and  was  considerably  astonished  to  dis- 
cover that  just  as  Rob  had  said,  wherever  the 
magical  fluid  struck,  it  seemed  to  dishearten  the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  19 

conflagration,  for  the  flames  immediately  died 
out. 

"Whoop!  it's  doing  the  whole  business,  that's 
right,  Rob!"  cried  the  pleased  amateur  fire- 
fighter, as  he  continued  to  make  judicious  use 
of  his  apparatus.  "Why,  I  tell  you  nothing  can 
hold  out,  Rob,  against  this  dandy  contraption. 
Look  at  it  do  the  work,  will  you  ?  Oh !  it's  sure 
worth  its  weight  in  go!4  when  you  need  some- 
thing to  save  your  boat  with." 

Indeed,  to  judge  from  the  magical  way  in 
which  the  threatening  fire  was  extinguished 
aboard  the  old  launch,  Rob  Blake  had  certainly 
made  no  mistake  wrhen  he  purchased  that  little 
fire-fighting  contrivance,  even  though  it  did 
cost  him  close  on  ten  dollars. 

Rob,  seeing  that  all  danger  of  the  fire  com- 
municating to  the  Tramp  was  now  past,  slowly 
started  toward  the  other  boat.  His  intention 
was  to  rescue  the  two  elderly  men  who  were  in 
the  water.  To  tell  the  truth,  Rob  was  very  much 
afraid  the  passenger  may  have  been  seriously 
burned,  and  that  in  his  panic  he  might  release 
his  frenzied  grip  on  the  gunwale  of  the  boat. 


20  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

It  turned  out  otherwise,  however,  for  Scotch 
grit  held  good,  and  Rob  soon  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  helping  both  men  aboard  the  Tramp. 

They  had  received  a  number  of  burns,  and 
presented  rather  a  peculiar  appearance,  since 
their  eyebrows  and  beards  had  been  badly 
singed. 

"Fire's  all  out,  Rob!"  announced  Andy,  at 
this  juncture. 

"Then  fix  it  so  that  we  can  tow  the  Sea  Gull 
behind  us,"  the  other  told  him,  "and  we'll  change 
our  course  for  the  Collins  Point  yonder." 

"It  is  verra  kind  of  ye  to  go  to  all  that 
trouble,"  remarked  the  elderly  man,  looking  the 
young  skipper  of  the  rescuing  boat  over  from 
head  to  toe,  "and  I  wull  not  be  the  one  to  for- 
get the  favor,  I  assure  you,  my  fine  laddie." 

"I  hope  you  are  not  seriously  burned,  sir?" 
remarked  Rob,  who  saw  that  there  were  signs 
of  the  other's  clothes  having  been  afire  before 
he  tumbled  overboard,  possibly  urged  to  this 
last  resort  through  the  energetic  efforts  of  old 
Captain  Jerry  Martin. 

"I   sincerely   hope   not   myself,"    replied   the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  21 

other,  as  he  felt  of  his  body,  and  then  put  up 
a  hand  to  his  blackened  face.  "I  believe  I've 
been  well  singed,  and  that  until  I  grow  a  new 
crop  of  eyebrows  I  will  look  like  a  scorched  rat; 
which  is  verra  unfortunate,  since  I  am  on  a  most 
important  errand  over  in  your  country.  But, 
indeed,  I  should  be  ashamed  to  complain,  for  it 
might  have  been  a  deal  worse." 

"And  how  about  you,  Captain  Jerry?"  asked 
Rob,  turning  to  the  subdued  looking  old  skipper 
of  the  disabled  motorboat,  who  had  once  been 
an  oysterman,  though  of  late  years  rheumatism 
had  compelled  him  to  seek  another  less  strenu- 
ous means  for  making  a  living  on  the  famous 
bay. 

"Nawthin'  to  count  much,  Rob,"  grunted  Cap- 
tain Jerry,  "but  I'm  afraid  I'll  jest  hev  to  git 
a  new  engine  aboard  the  Sea  Gull  arter  this  ac- 
cident. I  knowed  she  leaked  a  mite  in  the  con- 
nectin'  feed  pipe,  but  I  never  thought  anybody 
would  throw  a  lighted  match  down  thar!  I'm 
glad  to  be  alive  still;  and  I  hopes  as  how  the 
duckin'  ain't  agoin'  to  fotch  on  my  rheumatiz 
agin." 


22  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"As  I'm  altogether  to  blame  for  the  accident, 
Captain,"  said  the  passenger,  "I  shall  insist  on 
doing  my  part  toward  helping  you  put  in  that 
new  motor.  The  chances  are  I  will  be  marooned 
at  my  friend's  place  now  for  weeks,  until  I'm 
presentable ;  though  what's  to  be  done  about  get- 
ting that  valuable  shipment  out  to  our  exhibit 
I  am  unable  to  say.  Perhaps  Judge  Collins  may 
be  able  to  help  me  decide.  It's  a  verra  odd  time 
to  introduce  myself,  laddies,  but  I  want  to  know 
more  of  ye,  and  so  permit  me  to  say  I  am  Pro- 
fessor Andrew  McEwen,  from  Edinburgh 
University,  Scotland." 

"My  name  is  Robert  Blake,  and  my  father  is 
connected  with  the  bank  at  Hampton.  My  chum 
here  is  of  the  same  name  as  yourself,  profes- 
sor, Andrew;  but  his  last  name  is  Bowles.  I 
think  his  family  came  originally  from  Scot- 
land. We  are  Boy  Scouts,  and  out  for  a  little 
cruise  just  to  pass  the  time  away." 

"Which  was  a  lucky  thing  for  myself,  I  am 
sure,"  remarked  the  elderly  gentleman,  as  he 
squeezed  a  hand  of  each  of  the  young  fellows. 
"And  if  you  will  land  me  at  Judge  Collins'  dock, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  23 

you  will  increase  the  obligations  under  which 
you  have  placed  me." 

"We  are  heading  straight  that  way,  sir,"  Rob 
told  him. 

Somehow  he  liked  the  stranger  from  the  start. 
He  had  shrewd,  gray  eyes  that  had  been  wont, 
no  doubt,  to  twinkle  under  bushy  eyebrows ;  but 
with  these  now  missing  his  thin  face  had  an  al- 
most comical  appearance.  Still,  there  was  a 
kindly  expression  to  be  detected  there,  as  well 
as  the  keen  look  of  a  savant.  And  from  the 
way  in  which  Professor  McEwen  from  time  to 
time  watched  Rob,  it  was  evident  that  he  had 
also  conceived  a  great  fancy  to  the  fine,  manly 
looking  boy  who  seemed  to  be  able  to  master  a 
crisis  so  ably. 

Presently  they  drew  in  at  the  dock,  where 
Judge  Collins  was  awaiting  them.  From  the 
fact  that  the  gentleman  gripped  a  pair  of  marine 
glasses  in  his  hand,  and  had  ah  anxious  look 
on  his  face,  Rob  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  must  have  been  on  the  lookout  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  celebrated  scientist  from  abroad,  and 


24  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

might  have  witnessed  the  details  of  the  accident 
and  the  rescue. 

"I  dinna  doobt  but  that  ye  will  have  some  dif- 
ficulty in  recognizing  me,  Judge  Collins,"  called 
out  the  Professor,  falling  back  more  than  ever 
into  his  Scotch  dialect  in  his  mingled  amusement 
and  chagrin.  "My  ain  brother  wouldna  know 
me  with  this  blackamoor  face,  sans  eyebrows, 
sans  beard,  and  fortunate  to  have  saved  my  eye- 
sight. I  am  a  fearsome  sicht,  and  feel  unco'- 
unpleasant  in  the  bargain.  But  thanks  to  these 
braw  laddies  we  were  saved  from  a  watery 
grave,  for  which  baith  feel  thankful/' 

"You  must  come  up  to  the  house  at  once  and 
wash  up,"  said  the  judge  feelingly.  "Then  I 
shall  ease  any  suffering  with  some  magical  pain 
extractor  that  I  chance  to  have  and  can  recom- 
mend. No,  please  stay  with  me  a  little  while, 
boys,  unless  you  are  in  a  great  hurry.  I  want 
to  hear  your  side  of  the  story  as  well.  And  Cap- 
tain Jerry,  what  can  I  do  to  make  you  comfort- 
able? An  old  sailing  mate  of  yours  is  in  the 
boathouse  at  work,  and  if  you  will  join  him 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  25 

shortly  I  will  send  something  comforting  out  to 
you." 

Rob  looked  at  Andy,  who  nodded  his  approval 
of  this  idea.  Andy  had  never  before  met  with 
a  chance  to  see  the  inside  of  the  judge's  house 
on  the  Point,  which,  being  built  of  stone,  and 
boasting  a  few  turrets,  had  come  to  be  called 
the  "Castle"  by  most  of  the  baymen.  Such  a 
golden  opportunity  might  not  come  along  again ; 
and,  besides,  they  certainly  were  in  no  hurry, 
so  they  could  oblige  the  judge  without  putting 
themselves  out  at  all. 

Shortly  afterward  they  found  themselves  in 
the  library.  Rob  had  been  here  before  and  even 
spent  some  hours  examining  the  myriads  of  curi- 
ous things  among  the  collections  which  Judge 
Collins  kept  at  his  country  house,  where  he  spent 
more  than  half  the  year  entertaining  visitors. 

Here  the  judge  made  an  examination  of  the 
burns  of  the  little  Scotch  scientist.  It  was  found 
that  beyond  a  few  painful  red  marks,  and  the 
loss  of  the  hair  that  had  once  been  on  his  face, 
Professor  McEwen  was  all  right. 


26  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

He  seemed  to  take  his  mutilation  greatly  to 
heart. 

"It  would  ha'e  been  peetifu'  eno'  at  any  time 
to  be  transformed  into  such  a  scarecrow  as  this; 
but  think  of  me  on  the  way  out  to  join  some  of 
my  fellow  workers  in  the  avenues  of  science, 
and  taking  with  me  the  balance  of  our  delayed 
valuable  exhibit.  Aweel,  aweel,  the  best  paid 
plans  o'  mice  an'  men  gang  aft  aglee.  I  shall 
ha'e  to  hide  my  diminished  head  until  Nature 
restores  my  looks.  Ya  maun  rest  assured  I 
shall  not  let  my  friends  see  me  in  this  way; 
they  wouldna  doobt  but  that  it  was  the  Missing 
Link  come  to  light." 

"I  shall  be  delighted,"  said  the  judge  impul- 
sively, "to  have  you  stay  with  me  as  long  as 
you  can  spare  the  time,  Professor.  It  will  glad- 
den my  heart  more  than  I  can  tell  you,  for  the 
profit  is  bound  to  be  all  on  my  side." 

"But  whatever  am  I  to  do  aboot  getting  that 
exhibit  out  to  our  concession  at  the  Exposition, 
now  that  I  shall  be  utterly  unable  to  attend  to 
it  myself?  I  wish  I  could  solve  that  problem; 
my  own  discomfort  I  wouldna  consider  so  much. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  27 

In  fact,  I  have  undertaken  this  trip  under  pro- 
test. I  care  not  a  rap  or  a  bawbee  as  to  whether 
I  see  the  Exhibition  or  not,  if  only  I  could  make 
positive  that  my  errand  had  been  successfully 
carried  out." 

"Surely  you  can  send  what  you  are  taking 
there  by  express,  and  it  will  arrive  safely?"  sug- 
gested the  judge. 

"But  I  gave  my  solemn  word,"  expostulated 
the  Scotch  professor,  who  seemed  to  possess  all 
of  the  stubborn  qualities  with  which  those  of 
his  land  are  said  to  be  afflicted,  "not  to  let  the 
valuable  packet  go  out  of  my  possession  for  a 
minute,  unless  I  gave  it  in  charge  of  an  equally 
responsible  messenger.  Money  would  be  no  ob- 
ject, judge,  I  assure  you,  if  only  you  could  find 
me  a  gude  mon;  nane  ither  would  I  trust." 

The  judge  seemed  to  be  pondering.  When 
Andy  caught  him  looking  in  a  serious  fashion  in 
the  direction  of  himself  and  comrade,  somehow: 
he  felt  a  queer  thrill  pass  through  his  system, 
though  he  did  not  exactly  know  why  it  should 
be  so. 

Then  he  saw  a  smile  begin  to  creep  over  the 


28  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

face  of  Judge  Collins,  as  he  nodded  his  head 
slowly.  Whatever  had  flashed  into  his  mind, 
it  seemed  to  afford  him  considerable  satisfac- 
tion. 

"Professor  McEwen,"  he  said  slowly,  but  ear- 
nestly, "if  you  are  looking  for  some  trustworthy 
persons  to  whom  you  can  delegate  your  mis- 
sion, and  do  not  mind  what  expense  there  may 
be  attached  to  carrying  it  out,  I  believe  I  can 
suggest  a  couple  of  dependable  young  chaps  who 
might  fill  the  bill;  they  are  the  wide-awake  Boy 
Scouts  who  were  concerned  in  your  rescue  this 
very  morning.  How  would  you  like  to  talk  over 
that  business  with  Rob  Blake  and  Andy  Bowles, 
here,  Professor?" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  29 

CHAPTER   III. 

WHEN    UJCK   CAME   THEIR   WAY. 

Andy  fairly  held  his  breath  in  suspense  when 
Judge  Collins  made  that  astonishing  suggestion 
to  the  little  Scotch  professor.  He  had  always 
known  that  the  judge  was  a  firm  believer  in  the 
uplift  of  the  Boy  Scout  movement,  for  he  had 
never  failed  to  assist  the  Hampton  Troop  by 
every  means  possible.  That  he  would  go  so  far 
as  to  recommend  two  of  the  scouts  to  his  friend 
as  responsible  enough  parties  to  be  entrusted 
with  such  an  errand  filled  Andy  with  both 
amazement  and  delight 

Professor  McEwen's  eyes  twinkled  as  he  sur- 
veyed first  the  boys  and  then  their  earnest  spon- 
sor. 

"I  ha'e  no  doobt  but  that  they  are  responsi- 
ble and  trustworthy,  just  as  ye  say,  Judge  Col- 
lins," he  proceeded  to  remark  presently,  with 
lines  of  perplexity  visible  across  his  forehead, 
"and  if  it  were  but  an  ordinary  errand  I 


SO  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

wouldna  hesitate  a  single  instant  aboot  entrust- 
ing it  to  them.  But  I  ha'e  to  consider  well  be- 
fore makin'  up  me  mind.  The  property  belangs 
to  ithers  than  mesiF,  ye  ken;  and  it  is  of  a  sci- 
entific value  beyond  compare.  In  fact,  it  could 
riot  well  be  replaced  if  lost  in  transit;  money 
wouldna  be  any  consideration  in  exchange, 
which  is  why  I  wouldna  wish  to  send  it  by  ex- 
press." 

"Be  kind  enough  to  listen  while  I  relate  a  few 
facts  concerning  this  same  Rob  Blake,  and  a 
couple  of  his  friends,"  said  the  judge,  smiling, 
and  shaking  his  head  at  Rob  when  he  thought 
the  latter  looked  as  though  about  to  protest. 

"I  should  be  unco'  pleased  to  hear  all  you  can 
tell  me,"  declared  the  scientist,  "for  I  must  con- 
fess that  from  the  verra  beginning  these  braw 
lads  ha'e  made  a  most  favorable  impression  with 


me." 


And  so  Rob  had  to  sit  there,  squirming  rather 
uneasily,  while  the  judge  told  of  the  perilous  trip 
he  and  several  chums  had  made  to  the  troubled 
republic  of  Mexico,  and  how  they  had  cleverly 
managed  to  accomplish  the  delicate  mission  with 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  31 

which  they  had  been  entrusted  by  Tubby  Hop- 
kins' uncle. 

Then  he  took  up  the  subject  of  the  tour 
abroad,  where  they  had  been  for  days  and  weeks 
in  the  battle  zone  of  the  contending  armies,  man- 
aging with  consummate  skill  to  avoid  compli- 
cations, and  eventually  succeeding  in  attaining 
the  object  which  had  been  the  cause  of  their 
undertaking  this  perilous  mission. 

All  this  while  the  little  Scotch  professor 
sucked  away  at  his  pipe  as  though  he  found  great 
consolation  in  burning  the  weed  that  originally 
came  from  Virginia  in  the  time  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  and  was  therefore  a  strictly  American 
product.  Now  and  then  he  would  let  his  shrewd 
eyes  roam  from  the  face  of  the  enthusiastic 
judge  to  the  burning  one  of  Rob  Blake,  and  at 
such  times  Andy  always  noticed  that  he  would 
nod  slightly,  as  though  better  pleased  than  ever. 

Andy,  by  the  way,  was  enduring  all  manner 
of  torture  on  account  of  the  suspense;  he  had 
had  a  glorious  prospect  opened  up  before  himy 
if  only  the  curtain  would  not  suddenly  fall  and 
shut  it  out. 


32  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"That  is  not  nearly  all  that  these  gallant  boys 
have  done/'  declared  the  narrator,  after  a  time. 
"I  could  sit  here  for  an  hour  and  tell  you  in- 
numerable instances  where  Rob,  and  some  of 
his  chums  into  the  bargain,  did  things  that  would 
be  counted  big  under  ordinary  conditions.  Why, 
it  has  come  to  that  pass  in  Hampton  nowadays 
that  when  anything  beyond  the  ordinary  is  at- 
tempted they  have  to  get  the  scouts  interested 
in  it  first,  and  then  people  begin  to  believe  it 
must  have  some  merit/' 

"What  you  tell  me  is  indeed  wonderful/'  de- 
clared the  professor.  "After  that  recommenda- 
tion I  am  strongly  disposed  to  offer  them  the 
carrying  out  of  my  mission  if  they  could  see  their 
way  clear  to  accept  the  task." 

"It  would  give  them  a  chance  to  spend  some 
weeks  at  the  Exposition  without  incurring  any 
expense,  is  that  the  idea,  Professor  McEwen?" 
asked  the  judge,  who  looked  as  happy  as  though 
he  had  discovered  some  wonderful  bug  which 
had  been  eagerly  sought  after  for  years  and 
years  by  all  scientists  and  collectors. 

"Yes,   a  month,   if  they  cared  to  stay  that 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  33 

long/'  replied  the  other,  who  seemed  to  have 
been  fully  convinced,  and  ready  to  throw  the 
load  of  responsibility  from  his  own  shoulders 
to  those  of  Rob  and  his  chum.  "The  particu- 
lars can  be  gone  over  a  little  later,  either  to- 
night, if  they  care  to  see  me  again,  or  to-mor- 
row. There  is  no  great  need  o'  haste,  though 
what  I  am  carrying  out  to  California  is  being 
eagerly  expected  by  my  colleagues  there." 

"Let  me  congratulate  you,  boys,  on  your  good 
fortune,"  said  the  kindly  judge,  as  though  he 
wished  to  settle  the  matter  in  such  a  fashion 
that  there  could  be  no  drawing  back  on  the  part 
of  the  gentleman.  He  then  shook  hands  first 
with  Rob  and  then  with  Andy  Bowles. 

Rob  was  looking  a  little  pale  from  excitement, 
but  there  was  also  a  happy  glow  in  his  eyes. 
As  for  Andy,  he  could  not  prevent  a  wide  grin 
from  spreading  over  his  features.  His  father 
owned  a  livery  stable  in  Hampton,  but  was  not 
considered  at  all  well-to-do,  so  that  the  boy 
had  never  been  able  to  do  more  than  dream  of 
taking  expensive  trips.  That  one  down  into 
Mexico  had  come  like  a  gleam  of  golden  sun- 


84  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

shine,  for  Tubby  Hopkins'  old  uncle  had  footed 
all  the  bills. 

"Do  I  understand  you  to  make  this  proposi- 
tion to  us,  Professor  McEwen?"  Rob  asked 
bluntly,  not  wishing  to  be  laboring  under  any  de- 
lusion. 

"Aweel,  aweel,  I  dinna  ken  how  I  could  do 
better ;  and  I  feel  that  I  am  indebted  to  ye  baith 
for  my  life.  After  hearing  what  bonny  lads 
ye  are,  from  my  friend  Judge  Collins  here, 
whose  opinion  carries  great  weight  wi'  me,  I  am 
mair  than  pleased  to  offer  to  stand  all  the  cost 
of  a  trip  to  California  and  back;  as  well  as  the 
expense  which  you  will  necessarily  be  under 
while  seeing  the  great  Exposition  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. Do  ye  think  ye  can  ha'e  the  permission  of 
the  auld  folks  to  take  so  lang  a  journey?" 

"There  will  be  no  trouble  on  that  score,  Pro- 
fessor," urged  the  judge.  "These  lads  have  so 
amply  demonstrated  their  sterling  ability  to  look 
out  for  themselves  that  I  really  believe  Rob's 
parents  would  not  object  if  he  wanted  to  go  to 
hunt  for  the  South  Pole,  or  explore  the  unknown 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  35 

regions  of  tropical  Brazil.  And  so  we  shall  call 
it  settled,  I  presume,  Professor?" 

"I  ha'e  made  the  offer,  and  shall  tak'  it  hard 
if  they  turn  it  down,"  said  the  peculiar  little 
man  of  science,  whose  name,  Rob  afterward 
learned,  was  known  throughout  the  whole  length 
and  breadth  of  the  world  wherever  men  of  in- 
tellect gathered  to  discuss  their  theories  and  dis- 
coveries. 

"So  far  as  we  are  concerned,"  said  Rob,  after 
receiving  an  entreating  look  from  the  excited 
Andy,  "we  are  disposed  to  accept  right  on  the 
spot,  subject  to  the  reservation  that  our  parents 
may  have  the  final  deciding  of  the  matter.  We 
will  run  over  here  by  moonlight  to-night,  Pro- 
fessor, and  if  everything  is  satisfactory,  v:c  will 
talk  matters  over  with  you,  and  make  all  ar- 
rangements." 

"That  suits  me  nicely,  laddie,"  declared  the 
visitor  pleasantly;  "and  I  shall  ha'e  to  think  my- 
sel'  unco'  lucky  to  have  found  competent  and 
trustworthy  messengers  so  soon  after  the  neces- 
sity arose.  I  shall  look  for  ye  then  this  same 
evening;  and  I  hope  that  there  may  be  no  barrier 


36  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

thrown  in  the  way  of  your  acceptance  ci  ,ny 
offer.  The  mair  I  see  of  ye  the  better  satisfied 
I  feel  that  I  will  ha'e  no  regrets  after  entrust- 
ing my  mission  in  your  hands." 

Soon  afterward  the  two  scouts  saU  good-by 
to  the  professor,  and  started  down  to  the  dock. 
Even  in  his  distress  of  body  and  mind,  the 
thoughtful  scientist  had  not  forgotten  Captain 
Jerry;  and  the  boys  were  entrusted  with  a  mes- 
sage to  him  to  the  effect  that  ten  pounds  awaited 
his  acceptance  when  he  was  ready  to  install  that 
new  three-horse-power  engine  in  his  launch. 

The  old  bayman  was  glad  of  the  chance  to 
have  his  wrecked  boat  towed  back  home;  and 
when  Rob  delivered  the  message  of  the  profes- 
sor, the  look  of  concern  on  his  weatherbeaten  face 
vanished  as  the  mist  does  with  the  coming  of 
the  sun. 

All  the  way  across  the  broad  bay  the  two 
scouts  were  jabbering  to  each  other  in  connec- 
tion with  the  astonishing  streak  of  good  fortune 
that  had  just  come  their  way. 

"Seems  to  me  I  must  be  dreaming!"  Andy  de- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  37 

clared  for  the  fourth  time.  "Please  give  me  a 
pinch,  Rob,  to  let  me  make  sure  Fm  awake/' 

"Oh!  you'll  get  used  to  it  by  degrees/'  the 
other  told  him,  though  he  felt  somewhat  uncer- 
tain himself  at  times,  and  had  to  convince  him- 
self that  it  had  all  actually  happened,  and  was 
not  the  result  of  a  fevered  imagination. 

"Talk  to  me  about  luck,"  continued  Andy  rap- 
turously, "there  never  could  happen  again  such 
a  wonderful  combination  of  things.  First,  that 
the  feed-pipe  aboard  the  Sea  Gull  should  be  leak- 
ing a  trifle;  second,  that  Professor  McEwen 
was  aboard  the  same;  then  he  tossed  that  light- 
ed match  the  wrong  way,  so  instead  of  going 
overboard  it  fell  down  and  slipped  between  the 
bars  of  the  wooden  grating  into  the  oil-covered 
bilge  water,  and  last  of  all  that  we  chanced  to 
be  close  by  at  the  critical  moment,  ready  fixed 
with  a  fire  extinguisher  to  put  out  the  blaze,  and 
capable  of  hauling  the  ship-wrecked  mariners 
aboard." 

"Everything  of  that  kind  is  always  a  combina- 
tion of  minor  happenings  that  seem  to  dove- 
tail in  with  each  other,"  Rob  explained.  "In  this 


38  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

case  it  worked  perfectly.  All  other  boats  were 
so  far  away  that  there's  no  telling  what  might 
not  have  happened." 

"We're  getting  close  in  now,  and,  Rob,  there's 
somebody  waving  to  us  from  the  dock.  Why,  it 
looks  like  our  inventor  chum  and  fellow  scout, 
Hiram  Nelson,  the  queerest  fellow  in  the  Eagle 
Patrol.  He  must  \vant  us  to  stop  and  take  him 
out  for  a  ride  on  the  bay.  You  didn't  promise 
him  anything  like  that,  did  you,  Rob?" 

"Why,  no,  not  that  I  remember,"  replied  the 
other  slowly;  "but  now  that  you  mention  him 
acting  as  though  he  wanted  to  see  us  so  badly, 
I  remember  that  Hiram  has  been  talking  to  me 
several  times  lately  about  some  wonderful  secret 
he  was  carrying  around  with  him.  He  said  he 
hoped  to  be  in  a  position  soon  to  open  up  and 
take  me  into  his  confidence;  and  that  he  might 
have  a  proposition  to  make  that  would  give  me 
a  great,  though  a  pleasant  shock." 

"You  don't  say?"  chuckled  the  happy  Andy. 
"Well,  seems  to  me  the.  shoe  is  on  the  other  foot 
just  now,  and  that  we've  got  something  to  tell 
Hiram  that  will  take  his  breath  away  for  a  min- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  39 

ute.  Look  at  him  dancing  around,  Rob !  I  sup- 
pose now  he's  gone  and  invented  some  sort  of 
contraption  that  never  can  be  made  to  work, 
and  he  wants  to  tell  you  he's  saved  up  enough 
hard  cash  to  get  a  patent  on  the  same.  But 
chances  are  it'll  be  money  wasted,  because,  so 
far  as  I  know,  nothing  Hiram  has  done  so  far 
has  proved  much  of  a  success." 

"I'm  a  little  afraid  it's  as  you  say,"  added 
Rob,  in  a  low  tone,  for  they  were  now  fast  near- 
ing  the  dock  where  the  other  boy  waited  for 
them,  his  face  wreathed  in  such  broad  smiles 
that  they  could  easily  see  his  news  was  of  a  pleas- 
ant nature.  "Three  times  Hiram  has  tried  to 
go  up  in  that  aeroplane  of  his  and  failed.  I  hope 
he's  switched  his  genius  off  on  some  safer  track 
than  this  sky  traveling.  But  we'll  soon  know, 
for  here  we  are  at  the  dock." 

Andy  stood  by  with  the  boathook  to  fend  off, 
and  old  Captain  Jerry  got  in  readiness  to  take 
charge  of  his  launch  and  pole  it  along  the  border 
of  the  bay  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  up  which 
he  had  his  mooring  place. 

When  Rob  had  made  the  motorboat  fast  to  a 


40  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

cleat  on  the  dock,  he  joined  his  chum,  and  the 
two  of  them  advanced  toward  the  spot  where 
Hiram  awaited  their  coming,  his  face  still  be- 
traying the  great  excitement  under  which  he 
seemed  to  be  laboring. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  41 

CHAPTER  IV. 

A  STUNNING  SURPRISE. 

"He  certainly  looks  all  worked  up,  doesn't  he, 
Rob?"  Andy  remarked,  as  he  and  his  companion 
found  themselves  drawing  closer  to  the  other 
scout 

"Hiram  is  a  queer  stick,  you  remember,"  the 
patrol  leader  told  him,  speaking  in  a  soft  tone, 
as  he  did  not  wish  the  other  to  catch  what  he 
said.  "Everybody  just  knows  that  he's  gone 
daffy  over  this  craze  to  invent  something  worth 
•-vhile.  But  unless  I  miss  my  guess  we're  go- 
iiig  to  hear  some  news  shortly." 

There  was  no  chance  to  exchange  further  re- 
marks, because  they  had  reached  a  point  close 
to  Hiram.  The  latter  was  a  rangy  sort  of  chap. 
He  could  talk  as  well  as  the  next  one  when  he 
felt  disposed  that  way,  but  it  had  always  been 
a  sort  of  fad  with  Hiram  Nelson  to  pretend 
that  he  was  a  real  countryman,  and  many  a 
time  hc?d  he  amused  his  chums  with  his  broad 


42  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

accent  and  his  wondering  stare,  as  of  a  "yahoo" 
seeing  city  sights  for  the  first  time. 

Now,  however,  Hiram  apparently  was  not 
bothering  his  head  about  having  any  fun  with 
his  fellow  scouts.  There  was  an  eager  expres- 
sion on  his  face,  as  though  he  were  bursting 
with  the  desire  to  communicate  his  great  secret 
to  a  chosen  few  of  his  chums,  especially  to  the 
patrol  leader,  Rob  Blake. 

"Been  alookin'  for  you  all  over  town,  Rob," 
he  started  in  to  say,  as  they  joined  him.  "Took 
me  an  awful  long  time  to  get  track  of  where 
you'd  gone.  Then  just  by  accident  I  ran  across 
Walter  Lonsdale,  who  told  me  he  believed  from 
what  Sim  Jeffords  said,  that  Joe  Digby  had  seen 
you  and  Andy  here  hitting  it  up  for  the  dock, 
and  so  he  reckoned  you  must  have  gone  off  on 
your  little  Tramp.  And  say,  Walter  was  right 
that  time,  wasn't  he?" 

"He  certainly  was,"  replied  Rob,  while  Andy 
Bowles  chuckled  at  the  roundabout  way  the 
other  admitted  he  had  received  his  information. 

"Well,  Rob,"  continued  Hiram  mysteriously, 
"course  you  remember  my  telling  you  that  soon- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  43 

er  or  later  I  might  have  somethin'  of  vast  im- 
portance to  tell  you,  something  that  would  give 
you  one  of  the  greatest  thrills  ever?" 

"Sure,  I  remember  that/'  asserted  the  other, 
"what  about  it,  Hi?" 

The  other  leaned  closer  to  the  scout  leader, 
and  in  a  hoarse  whisper  exclaimed : 

"The  time  has  come  now,  Rob !" 

"Good  enough,"  said  Rob.  "Fire  away  then, 
Hiram!" 

Hiram  cast  a  rather  dubious  glance  in  the  di- 
rection of  Andy. 

"Oh,  don't  mind  me  one  little  bit,  Hi!"  sang 
out  that  worthy  cheerfully.  "I'll  promise  to 
seal  my  lips  if  you  give  the  word,  and  even  being 
burned  at  the  stake  couldn't  force  me  to  squeal 
a  syllable.  Say  on,  Hiram ;  you've  got  Rob  and 
me  worked  up  to  top-notch  with  curiosity,  and 
I  know  I'll  burst  pretty  soon  if  you  don't  take 
pity  on  me." 

"Oh !  well,  I  guess  it's  all  right,"  the  other  ob- 
served slowly.  "Everybody'll  be  knowing  it 
sooner  or  later.  You  just  can't  hide  a  light  un- 


44  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

der  a  bushel,  anyhow.  So  I  might  as  well  take 
you  at  your  word,  Andy." 

"My  word's  as  good  as  my  bond,  Hiram," 
said  the  bugler  of  the  troop,  with  some  show  of 
pride;  whereat  Hiram  laughed  softly,  as  though 
possibly  he  had  no  reason  to  doubt  that  same 
fact,  since  Andy  would  find  it  difficult  work  to 
get  anybody  to  accept  the  latter. 

"Let's  sit  down  here  on  this  pile  of  lumber," 
Hiram  went  on  to  say,  "while  I  tell  you  what 
wonderful  things  happened.  The  greatest 
chance  I've  ever  struck  so  far,  and  you  can  un- 
derstand that  I'm  nigh  about  tickled  to  death 


over  it." 


"Huh!  bet  you've  gone  and  spent  every  red 
cent  you  could  scrape  up  paying  a  patent  law- 
yer to  put  some  wildcat  scheme  through;  and 
that  you've  got  the  papers  in  your  pocket  show- 
ing that  you've  parted  from  your  hard  cash?" 

When  Andy  recklessly  said  this  Hiram  turned 
and  looked  reproachfully  at  him,  and  then  with 
his  accustomed  drawl  remarked: 

"Everything  we  tackle  in  this  world  is  a 
chance  and  a  hazard,  don't  you  know,  Andy 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  45 

Bowles?  And  if  inventors,  people  who  have 
the  big  brains,  and  get  up  all  the  wonderful  la- 
bor-saving devices  you  read  about,  didn't  choose 
to  accept  risks,  why  whatever  would  become  of 
all  you  ordinary  folks,  tell  me?" 

Andy  shook  his  head. 

"Give  it  up,  Hiram,"  he  said  blankly.  "But 
please  go  right  along  and  tell  us  what  you've 
been  and  gone  and  done  now.  Never  mind  me. 
My  bark  is  a  whole  lot  worse  than  my  bite,  any- 
how." 

"That's  so,"  Hiram  assured  him  cheerfully. 
"Well,  you  guessed  right  in  one  way,  Andy,  for 
I  have  secured  the  advance  notice  that  a  patent 
is  pending  on  a  clever  invention  of  mine,  which 
is  as  good  as  saying  it's  secured.  But  that's 
only  the  beginning,  the  foundation,  or,  as  you 
might  say,  the  advance  agent  of  prosperity.  The 
best  is  yet  to  come." 

"You're  exciting  us  a  heap,  Hiram,  I  admit," 
muttered  Andy,  "but  I  hope  it  isn't  all  going 
to  turn  out  a  big  smoke.  There's  some  fire  back 
of  this  talk,  isn't  there?" 

"Wait!"    the  other   told  him  grimly.      "Get 


46  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ready  to  soak  in  this  information,  boys.  The 
invention  for  which  I  have  applied  for  patent 
rights  is,  as  p'raps  you've  already  guessed,  in 
connection  with  airships!" 

He  waited  at  that  point,  as  if  expecting  some 
expression  of  surprise  and  wonder ;  so  not  to  dis- 
appoint him,  and  in  hopes  of  hurrying  matters 
along  a  little  faster,  the  accommodating  Andy 
gave  vent  to  the  one  expressive  word: 

"Gee!" 

"Yes,  I've  been  tackling  one  of  the  hardest 
propositions  we  inventors  have  ever  run  up 
against,"  continued  Hiram  pompously,  "and  to 
tell  you  the  truth  it  was  only  through  a  happy 
chance  that  in  the  end  I  stumbled  on  the  key 
that  unlocked  the  secret.  You  may  know  that 
one  of  the  obstacles  to  making  aeroplanes  popu- 
lar among  the  masses  has  been  the  danger  at- 
tending these  air  flights.  Even  the  most  ex- 
perienced pilots  are  subject  to  risks  that  they 
pretend  to  make  light  of.  You  understand  all 
that,  Rob,  of  course?" 

"Yes,  I  know  they  are  delicate  affairs  at  best 
when  used  for  sailing  a  mile  above  the  earth," 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  4? 

admitted  the  patrol  leader;  "and  that  a  sudden 
gust  of  wind,  if  it  takes  the  voyager  unawares, 
is  apt  to  bring  about  disaster." 

"That's  just  it,"  said  Hiram  triumphantly. 
"Rob,  I've  discovered  a  way  to  prevent  all  these 
accidents,  and  made  an  aeroplane  as  safe  for  a 
novice  to  run  as  it  would  be  for  an  experienced 
pilot  with  a  license." 

"If  you  have  done  that,  Hiram,  you've  got  a 
feather  in  your  cap!"  Rob  told  him.  "Some  of 
the  biggest  inventors  have  been  lying  awake 
nights  trying  to  fix  things  that  way,  so  as  to  take 
away  most  of  the  terrible  risk  of  flying;  but  so 
far  it  doesn't  seem  they've  met  with  much  suc- 


cess." 


"Wait  till  they  hear  from  Hiram  Nelson, 
that's  all,"  declared  the  happy  scout,  as  he  smote 
himself  on  the  chest  in  rather  a  vainglorious 
fashion,  which,  however,  the  other  two  boys 
hardly  noticed,  for  they  knew  Hiram's  fondness 
of  boasting,  as  he  had  always  been  afflicted  in 
that  way. 

"Tell  us  the  rest,  Hi,"  said  Andy,  just  as  if 
it  bored  him  to  hear  so  much  about  the  "pre- 


48  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

liminaries,"  when  as  the  inventor  proclaimed  the 
best  was  yet  to  come. 

"All  right/'  said  Hiram  promptly.  "Now  you 
know  what  the  scheme  is  I  can  go  on  and  get 
deeper  into  my  yarn." 

"Wish  you  would/'  muttered  Andy,  pretend- 
ing to  stifle  a  yawn  back  of  his  hand,  but  that 
was  only  done  in  order  to  hurry  the  long-wind- 
ed talker. 

"I  call  my  wonderful  invention  a  stabilizer, 
because  that's  the  use  it's  really  intended  for," 
continued  Hiram,  as  though  wishing  to  fully 
impress  that  fact  upon  their  minds.  "To  tell  the 
truth,  I've  had  the  legal  documents  showing  that 
a  patent  had  been  applied  for,  quite  some  time 
now,  though  for  reasons  of  my  own  I  kept  it 
all  a  dead  secret  from  everybody.  Mebbe  yeou 
fellers  may  have  noticed  that  I've  been  looking 
kinder  mysterious  the  last  month  or  two?  Well, 
guess  with  such  a  trew^wjous  secret  on  your 
mind  either  of  you'd  a  been  equally  absent  mind- 
ed. But  that  is  past  now,  and  I've  accomplished 
my  aim." 

"Good !"  Andy  burst  out  with.     "Let  go  your 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION"  49 

bowstring  then  and  shoot,  for  goodness  sake, 
Hiram/' 

"Well,  of  course  I  had  it  all  laid  out,"  con- 
tinued the  other  composedly,  as  if  it  was  beneath 
him  to  pay  any  attention  to  these  pins  that  Andy 
was  sticking  into  him,  "and  my  first  thought  was 
to  get  in  communication  with  some  enterprising 
big  corporation  that  manufactured  aeroplanes 
for  the  market.  All  inventors  have  to  sell  their 
first  few  patents,  you  know,  so's  to  get  money 
enough  to  push  other  ideas;  and  if  I  could  pick 
up  a  few  thousand  that  way,  why  I'd  have  to  let 
my  stabilizer  go." 

"Then  you've  been  coresponding  with  such  a 
company,  have  you?"  asked  Rob,  knowing  that 
he  could  tempt  the  other  to  hurry  his  story  in 
this  way,  just  as  a  witness  in  court  is  drawn  on 
by  a  clever  lawyer's  questions. 

"Oh !  several  of  them,  in  fact,"  admitted  Hi- 
ram, as  if  that  were  only  a  minor  matter,  after 
all,  "but  in  the  end  I  found  that  a  certain  con- 
cern meant  strictly  business,  and  consequently  I 
dropped  all  the  rest." 

"Have  they  actually  made  you  a  definite  of- 


50  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

fer  for  your  valuable  invention?"  asked  Rob, 
taking  considerable  more  interest  in  the  matter, 
now  that  Hiram's  undoubted  though  erratic 
genius  seemed  to  be  steadying  down  with  some 
tangible  results. 

"Pretty  much  that  way,  I  should  call  it,"  re- 
marked the  inventor,  trying  hard  to  appear  nat- 
ural, though  trembling  all  over  with  excitement. 
"They  went  so  far  as  to  enclose  a  check  big 
enough  to  cover  all  expenses  of  myself  and  a 
companion — for  I  was  smart  enough  to  say  I'd 
insist  on  having  company  for  advice  along  with 
me — to  run  out  to  their  main  works,  and  talk 
the  matter  over  with  a  view  to  disposing  of  my 
patent  rights  to  the  device/' 

At  that  Andy's  face  lost  the  look  of  sneering 
incredulity  that  had  been  a  marked  feature  of 
his  listening  to  all  this  talk. 

"Whew!  is  that  a  fact,  Hiram?"  he  exclaimed. 
"Shake  hands  on  it,  will  you?  Didn't  we  al- 
ways say  that  some  fine  day  you'd  be  famous, 
and  make  the  Eagles  proud  to  reckon  you  as  a 
member?  A  real  check,  and  not  on  a  sand  bank, 
you  mean  ?" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  51 

'Well,  I  went  right  away  to  Rob's  father's 
bank  and  saw  the  president.  He  said  the  check 
was  O.  K.  and  that  I  could  get  the  hard  cash 
any  time  I  wanted  it.  Why,  he  even  called  it 
a  certified  bank  draft,  which  meant  the  money 
had  been  set  aside  in  the  San  Francisco  bank 
for  that  purpose,  deducted  from  the  account  of 
the  Golden  Gate  Aeroplane  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany." 

"What?"  almost  shrieked  Andy  Bowles,  "say 
that  again,  will  you,  Hiram?  Must  be  my  mind's 
so  filled  with  that  Golden  Gate  business  I  just 
thought  I  heard  you  mention  something  like 
that.  Repeat  it,  please,  Hiram!" 

"Why,  the  check  came  from  a  San  Francisco 
bank,  because  you  see  the  company  is  a  substan- 
tial concern  in  California.  They  make  some 
of  the  most  famous  aeroplanes  on  the  market. 
If  they  adopt  my  stabilizer  it's  going  to  be  heard 
of  all  over  the  world.  And  to  think  what  a  mag- 
nificent chance  we've  got  to  run  out  there  and 
take  in  the  great  Panama-Pacific  Exposition  at 
the  same  time,  Rob!  It's  enough  to  make  you 
think  you're  dreaming,  eh?" 


52  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Why  do  you  mention  me  in  the  game,  Hi- 
ram?" demanded  the  patrol  leader,  with  a  smile 
on  his  face,  and  a  knowing  wink  in  the  direction 
of  Andy  Bowles. 

"Because,  don't  you  see,  Rob,  I  knew  I  didn't 
have  a  business  head  on  me,  and  might  get  cheat- 
ed out  of  my  boots  if  I  ran  up  against  a  smart 
lot  of  manufacturers ;  and  so  I  was  wise  enough 
to  insist  that  I  be  allowed  to  fetch  along  a  com- 
panion. They  never  put  up  a  single  kick  against 
the  expense  of  the  double  bill,  Rob;  but  the  check 
covered  railroad  fare,  sleeper,  meals,  and  hotel 
bills  while  there  a  week,  as  well  as  the  return 
trip  to  boot.  That  means  they  fancy  my  inven- 
tion is  going  to  be  a  big  thing  for  their  house. 
And,  Rob,  don't  you  see,  I  had  you  in  mind  all 
the  while  when  I  wrote  about  fetching  a  com- 
panion. I  want  you  the  worst  kind  to  accept 
my  invitation  and  go  to  the  Fair  at  my  expense. 
Tell  me  you  will,  Rob!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  53 


CHAPTER  V. 

HEADED  WEST. 

When  he  made  this  alluring  offer  Hiram  Nel- 
son was  astonished  to  see  Rob  turn  toward 
Andy,  and  that  the  pair  of  them  actually 
laughed.  Quite  indignant  at  such  a  showing 
of  skepticism,  Hiram  hastened  to  say: 

"Don't  believe  a  word  of  what  I'm  saying, 
p'raps  now?  Well,  seeing  that  your  dad  reck- 
oned this  little  paper  was  worth  every  cent  it 
called  for,  suppose  you  take  a  squint  at  the 
same,  Rob.  You,  too,  Andy,  and  then  you'll  laugh 
on  the  other  side  of  your  mouth,  I  shouldn't 
wonder." 

He  flourished  the  bank  draft  in  front  of  their 
eyes,  so  that  both  scouts  could  see  the  amount 
it  called  for  in  cash,  and  that  it  bore  all  the 
marks  of  being  genuine. 

"Oh!  neither  of  us  is  doubting  anything  you 
say,  Hiram,"  explained  Andy  effusively.  "The 


54  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

only  thing  is  that  Rob  here  can't  accept  your 
generous  offer,  that's  all/' 

"Can't  accept?"  gasped  the  other,  looking  ter- 
ribly disappointed.  "Why  not,  I'd  like  to  know ; 
and  me  countin'  on  having  him  along  to  advise 
me,  and  keep  me  from  being  caught  napping,  or 
robbed  of  my  valuable  papers  on  the  road." 

"I'll  tell  you  why  he  isn't  able  to  take  the  trip 
to  California  at  your  expense,  Hiram,"  said 
Andy  solemnly.  "It's  because  he's  already 
pledged  himself  to  go  with  someone  else.  Fact 
is,  Hiram,  I'm  the  one  who  holds  Rob's  word." 

"You — agoin'  to  California,  Andy  Bowles?" 
exclaimed  the  astonished  Hiram;  and  his  in- 
credulous manner  told  that  he  doubted  the  truth 
of  the  assertion,  for  where  could  the  son  of  the 
liveryman  of  Hampton  get  all  the  money  to  cover 
the  double  expense  of  such  a  lengthy  trip;  cer- 
tainly not  through  any  invention  his  brain  had 
ever  conceived;  and  no  boy  could  ever  hope  to 
save  enough  out  of  his  spending  money  for  that. 

"Yes,  we've  just  made  all  arrangements  for  a 
month  at  the  Exposition,"  said  the  Bowles  boy; 
"that  is,  we  have  to  run  over  to  Judge  Collins' 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  55 

place  again  after  supper  to-night,  and  complete 
the  details.  We  expect  to  pull  out  day  after 
to-morrow,  and  take  a  through  limited  train  for 
New  Orleans  first,  then  across  the  plains  of 
Texas,  and  the  deserts  of  New  Mexico  and  Ari- 
zona to  Los  Angeles." 

Hiram  sat  there  as  though  changed  into  stone. 
He  hardly  knew  whether  Andy  was  trying  to 
hoodwink  him  or  not;  for  the  other  had  some- 
thing of  a  reputation  as  a  joker. 

Rob  took  pity  on  the  poor  fellow. 

"It's  just  as  Andy  says,  Hiram/'  he  observed 
seriously.  "We've  had  a  wonderful  experience 
when  out  on  the  bay.  A  fire  happened  aboard 
old  Captain  Jerry's  Sea  Gull  on  account  of  a 
passenger  dropping  a  lighted  match,  so  that  it 
caused  something  of  an  explosion.  The  two 
men,  somewhat  scorched,  tumbled  overboard. 
We  were  close  at  hand,  and  by  using  that  fire- 
extinguishing  torch  of  mine  managed  to  put  out 
the  flames  before  they'd  done  much  damage.  We 
also  hauled  Captain  Jerry  and  his  passenger 
aboard." 

"Well,  of  all  things!"  gasped  Hiram.     "If  it 


56  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

don't  take  you  to  do  wonders,  Rob  Blake.  Go 
on  and  tell  me  the  rest,  please.  My  yarn  isn't 
in  the  same  class  with  yours,  it  strikes  me." 

Rob  quickly  put  him  in  possession  of  the  facts 
that  followed  fast  on  the  heels  of  the  rescue, 
and  their  reaching  the  Castle  of  Judge  Collins. 
Hiram  continued  to  shake  his  head,  and  draw  in 
long  breaths  as  though  almost  overcome  with 
astonishment. 

"The  Arabian  Nights  never  was  in  it  with  the 
things  that  happen  to  you,  Rob,"  he  exclaimed, 
when  the  story  was  complete.  "And  so  both 
of  you  are  expecting  to  start  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia right  away?  Well,  IVe  got  plenty  of 
money  right  here,  and  what's  to  hinder  our  mak- 
ing it  a  party  of  three?" 

"That  strikes  me  as  a  good  thing,  Hiram," 
said  Rob.  "We're  all  scouts  and  comrades, 
after  all;  and  you  say  you  are  afraid  you'll  need 
advice  sooner  or  later  in  dealing  with  the  manu- 
facturers. We'll  stand  by  you,  Hiram,  and 
there's  my  hand  on  it!" 

"Bully  for  you,  Rob!"  cried  the  delighted  in- 
ventor, whose  dejected  countenance  immediate- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  57 

ly  lighted  up.  "I  was  mighty  afraid  you  meant 
to  leave  me  out  of  the  excursion  party.  Stand 
by  me,  and  I'll  do  everything  I  can  to  help  you. 
Three  ought  to  be  even  better  than  just  two, 
v/hen  it  comes  to  counting  noses." 

"You  made  a  remark  just  now  that  struck  me 
as  queer/'  said  Rob. 

"Tell  me  what  it  was,  then,  and  I'll  try  to 
explain,"  Hiram  ventured. 

"Well,  you  spoke  of  wanting  a  companion 
along  to  keep  you  from  being  caught  napping,  or 
robbed  of  valuable  papers  on  the  way;  what  did 
you  mean  by  the  last  part  of  that  sentence? 
Have  you  any  idea  anyone  covets  your  papers, 
and  might  make  an  attempt  to  rob  you  when 
you  were  far  away  from  home?" 

"Rob,  p'raps  I'm  silly  to  think  that  way,  but 
I  can't  hdp  it,"  Hiram  confessed.  "You  see, 
one  of  the  companies  I  corresponded  with  was 
in  New  York.  They  even  sent  an  agent  down 
here  to  interview  me,  and  see  what  I  had  got. 
I  never  liked  that  man  the  least  bit.  He  struck 
me  as  a  sneak,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  the 
company  was  what  you  might  call  a  snide  one 


58  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

— wanting  to  steal  ideas  if  they  could.  I  de- 
clined to  have  any  dealings  with  them,  and  their 
agent  went  away  as  mad  as  a  hornet,  even 
threatening  that  he'd  get  the  better  of  me  by 
hook  or  crook." 

"You  don't  say!"  ejaculated  Andy.  "Then, 
you  must  have  squeezed  his  toes,  Hiram;  you 
made  him  squeal,  and  show  his  true  colors.  I 
give  you  credit  for  that." 

"Have  you  heard  anything  from  the  com- 
pany since?"  asked  Rob,  hardly  knowing  whether 
to  treat  the  implied  threat  seriously,  or  only  as 
the  ugly  remark  of  a  disappointed  man  who  had 
found  that  Hiram  was  too  smart  for  him. 

"Why,  every  week  I  get  a  few  lines  from  this 
Marsters,  the  man  who  came  to  see  me,  ask- 
ing if  I'm  ready  to  do  business  with  him.  There's 
no  threat  in  the  letter,  but  there's  always  some- 
thing to  imply  that  he's  keeping  track  of  what 
I'm  doing,  and  expects  sooner  or  later  I'll  be 
glad  to  turn  to  him  for  a  sale." 

"And  you  are  afraid  that  he  even  knows  of 
your  dealings  with  this  Golden  Gate  Company 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  59 

out  on  the  Coast,  is  that  it,  Hiram?"  continued 
the  scout  leader. 

"I  don't  know  what  to  think,"  admitted  Hi- 
ram. "One  letter  came  that  I  know  had  been 
tampered  with.  It  may  be  he's  got  somebody  in 
our  postoffice  in  his  pay." 

"That  would  be  a  serious  thing  if  true,"  Rob 
told  him. 

"It's  lucky  they  didn't  keep  out  the  letter  that 
had  the  bank  draft  in  it,"  suggested  Andy. 

"They  might  have  done  it,"  Hiram  said,  "only 
the  company  was  smart  enough  to  register  that, 
and  it  got  to  me  safe  and  sound.  But,  Rob, 
after  all  this  might  only  be  a  big  bluff  Marsters 
is  putting  up.  He  may  never  bother  his  head 
about  me  starting  off  on  this  trip,  even  if  he 
hears  about  it  through  any  paid  spy  in  Hamp- 
ton. And  if  I've  got  two  good  chums  along; 
with  me,  who's  afraid?" 

"All  the  same,"  advised  Rob,  "you'd  better 
keep  this  thing  a  dead  secret.  We'll  agree  not 
to  say  a  word  about  it  to  anyone.  They  cart 
know  how  Andy  and  myself  have  been  lucky 
enough  to  get  a  chance  to  see  the  Exposition; 


60  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

and  let  people  figure  you're  in  the  deal,  too. 
We'll  do  nothing  to  make  it  seem  contrary,  re- 
member that,  Andy!" 

"I'm  on,  all  right,  Rob,"  the  other  hastened 
to  assure  him. 

"First  of  all,"  continued  Rob,  "be  careful  with 
that  draft.  If  I  were  you  I'd  hand  it  over  to 
my  father,  and  then  when  you  want  the  money 
he'll  give  it  to  you.  Did  you  think  to  ask  him 
not  to  mention  it?" 

"Yes,  and  he  said  he  wouldn't,  after  I'd  shown 
him  the  letter.  He  shook  hands  with  me,  Rob, 
and  said  he  was  as  pleased  as  pie  about  it — 
leastways  not  in  just  those  words,  you  know, 
but  it  meant  the  same  thing.  I'll  go  up  right 
away  and  ask  him  to  take  charge  of  it  for  fear 
I  may  lose  the  paper." 

After  making  arrangements  to  meet  again  in 
the  afternoon  so  as  to  talk  matters  over  and 
lay  their  plans  for  starting,  the  boys  went  home 
for  lunch.  All  of  them,  of  course,  were  fairly 
bubbling  over  with  excitement;  and  when  the 
story  was  told  of  what  had  happened  on  the  bay, 
as  well  as  the  wonderful  thing  that  came  of  the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  61 

rescue,  in  at  least  two  Hampton  homes  there 
were  proud  parents. 

Of  course,  no  one  put  the  least  objection  in  the 
way  of  Rob  and  Andy  taking  that  wonderful 
trip.  They  were  thought  to  be  the  luckiest  boys 
in  all  Hampton;  and  when  the  news  leaked  out 
every  fellow  in  town  flocked  around  to  hear  the 
particulars. 

That  night  after  supper  Rob  and  Andy  rowed 
over  to  Judge  Collins*  and  spent  a  very  pleas- 
ant evening  with  Judge  Collins  and  his  distin- 
guished guest.  Professor  McEwen  went  into 
matters  with  a  thoroughness  that  spoke  well  for 
his  business  ability,  in  spite  of  the  fact  of  his 
being  a  scientist. 

In  the  end  it  was  all  arranged.  Rob  and  Andy 
understood  just  what  they  were  expected  to  do 
in  order  to  carry  out  the  instructions  of  the  Scot- 
tish professor. 

"Come  over  to-morrow  afternoon,  lads,  and 
everything  will  be  here  ready  for  you  to  take 
charge  of,"  the  satisfied  gentleman  told  them  as 
they  were  saying  good-night.  "The  Judge  ha'e 
kindly  promised  to  see  to  things,  sine'  I'm  muckle 


62  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

sore,  and  hardly  in  condition  to  show  myself 
in  public.  What  I  am  giving  into  your  charge 
can  be  handily  carried  in  your  grip;  only  I  ken 
ye  will  want  to  be  chained  fast  to  the  same  all 
o'  the  time  fra  start  to  feenish." 

Since  there  are  so  many  things  waiting  to  be 
told  that  befell  the  boys  later  on,  there  is  really 
little  need  of  our  lingering  any  longer  at  this 
point  than  is  absolutely  necessary. 

On  the  following  afternoon  Rob  and  Andy 
paid  their  last  visit  to  the  Point,  and  when  they 
came  away  they  carried  a  packet  with  them 
which  they  seemed  to  guard  most  carefully. 

Besides  this  Rob  had  in  his  possession  plenty 
of  money  to  see  them  out  to  the  Coast,  as  well 
as  a  letter  of  credit  on  a  San  Francisco  bank 
that  would  insure  a  future  supply. 

"And  if  you  should  need  even  more,"  Judge 
Collins  told  Rob  in  parting,  "wire  to  me  of  your 
necessities  and  it  will  be  forthcoming,  because 
we  are  both  determined  that  you  brave  lads  shall 
have  the  time  of  your  lives  while  out  there." 

The  boys  made  all  their  arrangements,  and 
when  the  second  morning  rolled  around  there 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  63 

was  quite  a  host  at  the  station  to  see  them  take 
the  morning  train  to  New  York,  where  they  ex- 
pected to  start  upon  the  real  journey. 

Sleeping-car  berths  had  been  secured  in  ad- 
vance to  New  Orleans,  and  which  would  in  fact 
carry  them  all  the  way  through,  since  it  was  not 
their  intention  to  stop  over  anywhere  en  route. 

Among  the  relatives  and  friends  who  had  as- 
sembled to  see  the  three  scouts  leave  for  the  far- 
distant  Pacific  Coast,  were  numerous  members 
of  the  Hampton  Troop.  Like  Rob  and  Andy  and 
Hiram,  these  boys  wore  their  khaki  suits,  and 
seemed  proud  of  the  badges  and  medals  they 
had  won  the  permission  to  sport. 

Thanks  to  the  caution  suggested  by  Rob,  no 
one  appeared  to  know  just  how  Hiram  came  to 
be  in  the  fortunate  bunch.  Some  accounts 
coupled  his  name  with  the  rescue  of  the  famous 
scientist  who  was  visiting  Judge  Collins;  while 
others  were  just  as  firmly  convinced  that  there 
were  only  two  on  board  the  Tramp  at  the  time. 

In  the  end  it  was  set  down  as  something  of 
a  mystery  which  might  not  be  cleared  up  until 
the  return  of  the  travelers.  They  knew  that  Hi- 


64  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ram  was  a  very  secretive  sort  of  fellow,'  and  that 
even  if  he  accomplished  something  calculated  to 
fetch  him  in  money,  he  would  not  tell  of  it  until 
he  chose. 

The  train  drew  in  at  the  station,  and  the  three 
scouts  got  aboard  amidst  a  perfect  clamor  of 
shouts,  above  which  could  be  heard  the  well- 
known  scout  salute.  As  the  conductor  gave  the 
signal  for  them  to  pull  out  there  was  a  scene 
such  as  had  seldom  been  witnessed  at  Hampton ; 
which  proved  just  how  much  Rob  Blake,  the 
leader  of  the  scouts,  was  appreciated  in  his  home 
town. 

Hardly  had  they  left  the  outskirts  of  the  town 
behind  when  Hiram,  who  was  sitting  just  behind 
Rob  and  Andy,  leaned  forward  and  said  in  a 
low  tone: 

"I'm  not  dead  sure  about  it,  Rob,  but  there  was 
a  man  got  aboard  this  train  that  looked  a  whole 
lot  like  that  tricky  agent  I  told  you  about,  Mars- 
ters!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  65 

CHAPTER   VI. 

ALARM. 


"Andy,  would  you  mind  changing  seats  with 
Hiram?"  asked  Rob,  upon  hearing  what  the  boy 
behind  him  had  just  said. 

"Not  at  all;  there's  plenty  of  room  still,"  re- 
plied the  troop  bugler,  quickly  slipping  out  and 
allowing  Hiram  to  take  his  place,  while  he  leaned 
forward  over  the  back  of  the  seat  so  he  could 
join  in  the  conversation. 

"Are  you  sure  it  was  this  same  man,  Hiram?" 
asked  Rob. 

"I  only  had  a  quick  look  at  him,  and  his  back 
was  toward  me,"  explained  the  nervous  inventor, 
"but  I'm  most  certain  it  was  that  agent.  He 
had  a  rather  odd  little  limp  you  see,  and  this  fel- 
ler did,  too." 

Hiram  had  his  hand  laid  upon  his  chest.  In- 
side his  coat  he  carried  the  precious  papers,  and 
just  then  the  boy  seemed  to  be  more  concerned 
about  these  than  he  was  in  connection  with  the 


66  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

pocketbook  that  reposed  in  a  back  pocket  of  his 
trousers,  or  the  tickets  he  had  in  another  reposi- 
tory. 

"Well,  keep  close  to  both  of  us,  that's  all,"  said 
Rob.  "Even  if  it  is  Marsters,  the  chances  are 
he's  only  trying  in  his  mean  way  to  give  you  a 
bad  feeling.  I  don't  expect  well  be  bothered 
with  him  after  we  get  fairly  started  on  our  trip." 

"But  what  if  he  tried  to  steal  my  papers  from 
me?"  said  Hiram  uneasily. 

"He'd  have  a  hard  time  doing  that,  with  one 
of  us  on  either  side,"  affirmed  Andy  Bowles  con- 
fidently. 

"And  I  wouldn't  hesitate  a  second  to  hand 
him  over  to  the  police  if  he  tried  any  of  his 
games  on  us,"  Rob  added. 

"It  may  be  he's  hired  some  smart  pickpocket 
to  rub  up  against  me  when  we  get  in  the  jam 
at  leaving  the  train,"  Hiram  told  them,  showing 
that  his  mind  was  active  enough  to  grasp  every 
sort  of  possibility,  no  matter  how  vague. 

"We'll  checkmate  him  on  that  easily  enough," 
chuckled  Rob.  "In  the  first  place,  we  don't  mean 
,to  allow  ourselves  to  get  caught  in  any  jam. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  67 

When  we  draw  into  the  station  we'll  sit  tight 
until  most  of  the  passengers  have  left.  Then 
Andy  here  can  go  and  get  the  particulars  as 
to  where  our  train  is  standing  that  will  take  us 
South ;  for  it's  all  one  Pennsylvania  station,  you 
know.  And  I'll  stick  close  to  you  every  min- 
ute of  the  time/' 

"Yes,"  Andy  went  on  to  say,  "you  know  we've 
got  something  in  Rob's  grip  that  we  have  to 
'guard  with  unceasing  vigilance,'  as  Judge  Col- 
lins said,  because  it  is  of  priceless  value  in  the 
eyes  of  scientists;  and  its  safe  delivery  to  the 
head  of  the  exhibit  at  the  Fair  will  mean  we've 
earned  our  trip." 

Later  on,  when  they  finally  left  the  car,  Andy 
hurried  off  to  pick  up  the  needed  information. 
They  had  a  whole  hour  before  the  scheduled 
time  of  starting  came,  so  none  of  them  were 
anxious  with  regard  to  being  left. 

Hiram  stood  there  with  his  bag  between  his 
feet,  looking  to  the  right  and  to  the  left.  He 
seemed  to  be  in  constant  fear  lest  some  astonish- 
ing surprise  might  be  sprung  upon  him. 

"There  he  is  now7,  grinning  at  me  like  an 


68  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ape,  Rob!"  he  suddenly  muttered,  and  his  voice 
was  certainly  anything  but  firm. 

"So,  that  is  your  Marsters,  is  it?"  demanded 
the  other,  as  he  discovered  a  slim  man  standing 
at  some  little  distance  from  them,  and  with  a 
satirical  smile  on  his  dark  face. 

"Yes,  and  don't  you  think  he  looks  like  he'd 
stop  at  nothing  in  order  to  get  to  the  end  he  had 
in  view?"  asked  Hiram. 

"He  looks  like  an  impudent  fellow  to  me,"  Rob 
advised,  "and  according  to  my  mind  he's  gone  to 
all  this  bother  just  to  feel  that  he's  had  his  nasty 
revenge  on  you  for  treating  him  so  shabbily. 
To  be  beaten  in  a  battle  of  wits  by  a  mere  boy 
must  have  riled  Mr.  Marsters  a  whole  lot.  De- 
pend on  it,  he  doesn't  expect  to  go  any  further 
than  this  in  the  game.  He's  shot  his  bolt." 

"What  makes  you  think  so,  Rob?" 

"The  very  fact  that  he's  taking  all  the  pains 
to  stand  there  and  let  you  see  him  grinning  like 
an  imp,"  replied  the  scout  leader.  "Now,  if 
he  really  meant  to  chase  after  you  on  the  trip, 
don't  you  see  he  would  be  doing  everything  he 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  69 

could  to  keep  you  from  knowing  he  was  around, 
and  on  the  watch  ?" 

Hiram,  after  he  had  been  shown,  began  to  see 
it  that  way,  too. 

"Seems  as  though  there  might  be  a  good  lot 
of  truth  in  that  view7,  Rob,"  he  admitted.  "So 
let  him  grin  all  he  wants  to.  I'll  laugh,  too, 
if  only  to  show  the  feller  that  he  hasn't  made 
me  squirm  a  whit." 

With  that  Hiram  bent  almost  double,  like  a 
hinge,  and  seemed  to  be  tickled  half  to  death 
over  some  imaginary  joke.  He  also  turned  and 
looked  straight  in  the  eyes  of  the  man  he  had 
called  Marsters,  as  if  to  let  him  know  he  did  not 
care  a  snap  of  his  fingers  about  his  continued 
leering. 

"You've  settled  his  case,  and  cooked  his  goose 
for  him,"  commented  Rob,  a  minute  later.  "See, 
there  he  goes  over  yonder,  and  I'll  be  a  whole 
lot  surprised  if  we  set  eyes  on  Marsters  again." 

"But,  Rob,  I'm  determined  to  act  as  though  I 
fully  expected  him  to  be  creeping  around  all  the 
time.  I'm  playing  up  to  the  old  saying  that  an 


70  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  more'n  a  hull 
pound  of  cure." 

"It's  a  good  idea,"  was  all  Rob  told  him,  for 
just  then  he  saw  Andy  hurrying  toward  them, 
and  from  his  manner  guessed  the  other  must 
have  obtained  the  needed  information. 

Once  they  were  settled  in  the  sleeping-car, 
Hiram  began  to  feel  better,  though  it  might  be 
noticed  that  he  eyed  every  person  who  came 
aboard  as  though  he  more  than  half  suspected 
the  revengeful  Marsters,  baffled  in  securing  the 
wonderful  invention  for  his  firm,  might  assume 
some  marvelous  disguise  in  order  to  be  near  the 
traveling  genius,  so  as  to  rob  him  on  the  road. 

"We're  off!"  exclaimed  Andy  joyously,  as  the 
train  started,  drawn  by  an  electric  motor,  and 
heading  through  the  tunnel  that  would  take  them 
under  the  North  River  to  Jersey,  and  thence 
across  the  Hackensack  Meadows  to  Newark  and 
beyond. 

Everything  looked  bright  and  cheerful  that 
morning  when  the  three  scouts  began  their  long 
journey  calculated  to  land  them  eventually  in- 
side the  portals  of  the  big  Exposition  on  the  Pa- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  71 

cific  Coast,  and  which  was  being  held  to  com- 
memorate the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal. 

Certainly  never  before  had  Boy  Scouts  been 
enabled  to  start  forth  upon  a  trip  of  such  mag- 
nitude, and  under  such  happy  auspices.  With 
all  their  expenses  paid,  and  the  grandest  possi- 
ble time  looming  up  ahead  of  them,  it  was  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  Rob  and  his  two  chums 
counted  themselves  the  luckiest  fellows  on  the 
face  of  the  globe. 

All  of  them  were  fond  of  traveling,  and  that 
first  day  was  a  constant  picnic  for  the  scouts. 
It  happened  that  Rob  and  Andy  had  been  over 
the  route  before,  since  it  was  this  way  they  had 
gone  to  Mexico  when  with  Merritt  Crawford 
and  Tubby  Hopkins.  On  that  ocasion  they  had 
undertaken  the  carrying  out  of  that  mission  con- 
nected with  the  disposal  of  the  cattle  on  the 
ranch  Dr.  Mark  Matthews,  the  globe-trotter  and 
explorer,  owned  across  the  Rio  Grande,  his  old- 
time  friend  General  Villa  seeing  that  he  was 
properly  paid  with  the  funds  held  by  the  Revolu- 
tionary party.* 

*  See  "The  Boy  Scouts  Under  Fire  in  Mexico." 


72  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

This  being  the  case,  they  were  able  to  direct 
the  attention  of  Hiram  to  many  interesting  ob- 
jects on  the  way.  Hiram  had  never  been  a  hun- 
dred miles  outside  of  Hampton  in  all  his  life; 
and  therefore  he  stared  and  commented  con- 
tinually as  the  train  rushed  along  through 
stretches  of  the  country  around  Washington  and 
beyond  as  the  day  drew  near  its  close. 

Remembering  what  Judge  Collins,  as  well  as 
the  Scotch  professor,  had  told  them  in  connection 
with  the  contents  of  Rob's  grip,  they  kept  it 
down  at  their  feet  constantly;  for  they  had  the 
whole  section,  Andy  having  promised  to  occupy 
the  upper  berth,  as  he  knew  Hiram  would  feel 
safer  in  company  with  Rob  below. 

"You  haven't  seen  anything  suspicious  the 
whole  day  long,  have  you,  Hiram?"  Rob  asked 
him,  as  they  prepared  to  go  into  the  dining-car 
for  their  supper,  two  at  a  time,  and  the  third 
staying  to  look  after  things,  as  well  as  keep  his 
foot  on  the  precious  grip. 

"Well,  not  that  you  could  really  call  suspi- 
cious/' admitted  the  other,  "but  seemed  like  sev- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  73 

eral  parties  looked  right  hard  at  me  as  they 
passed  through  agoin'  to  that  meal  car/' 

"Oh,  shucks !"  said  Andy,  leaning  across  from 
his  seat  to  speak  in  a  low  tone,  "that  all  comes 
from  you  being  worked  up  the  way  you  are. 
Chances  are  they  must  a'  seen  the  budding  gen- 
ius breaking  out  all  over  your  face  in  the  shape 
of  freckles,  Hiram,  and  wondered  who  on  earth 
you  co aid  be." 

"Well,  I  always  figger  that  it's  best  to  be  on 
the  safe  side,  no  matter  if  other  people  do  make 
out  to  snicker  at  you,  and  call  you  timid.  It's 
poor  policy  to  shut  the  door  of  the  stable  after 
the  hoss  is  stolen,  my  dad  says;  and  your  folks 
would  agree  with  me  there,  Andy,  seeing  that 
they  have  a  heap  to  do  with  hosses.  Do  I  go 
in  with  you  to  grub,  Rob,  or  wait  here  for  my 
turn?" 

"I  leave  that  with  Andy/'  Rob  remarked  in- 
differently; "if  he  feels  too  hungry  to  stay  here 
for  us  to  come  back,  let  him  take  the  first  show. 
Here  comes  the  waiter  to  give  the  call." 

An4y  immediately  said  that  it  pleased  him  to 
wait  and  take  his  time. 


74  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"I  like  to  be  easy  in  my  mind  when  I'm  try- 
ing to  get  the  worth  of  a  big  dollar  in  dinner," 
he  continued,  "and  if  I  keep  on  thinking  of  you 
fellows  counting  the  minutes  while  I'm  gone,  it 
hurries  me  too  much;  and  that's  bad  for  your 
digestion,  you  know.  So  skip  along,  and  I'll 
hug  the  seat  here  till  you  get  back.  Make  up 
your  mind,  Rob,  everything  will  be  safe  enough. 
I'm  Johnny  on  the  spot  when  it  comes  to  stand- 
ing guard/' 

In  this  fashion  all  of  them  managed  to  get 
their  supper.  The  night  closed  in  and  the  full 
moon  lighted  up  the  wonderful  scenery  of  the 
valleys  they  were  speeding  through,  headed 
toward  the  southwest,  and  into  the  land  of 
sugarcane,  oranges,  cotton  and  rice. 

Hiram,  when  he  could  take  his  mind  away 
from  the  fascinating  prospect  of  doing  a  lucra- 
tive business  with  the  enterprising  firm  that  had 
invited  him  all  the  way  out  to  the  Coast,  was  full 
of  questions  regarding  the  wonderful  things  he 
expected  to  see  later  on  when  they  reached  a 
section  of  the  country  that  was  radically  differ- 
ent from  Long  Island. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  75 

He  had  always  wanted  to  visit  the  South,  and 
this  culmination  of  his  hopes  filled  him  with 
ecstasy.  The  presence  of  such  a  steady  chum  as 
Rob  Blake  did  much  to  add  to  Hiram's  peace 
of  mind,  it  can  be  readily  believed;  for  he  felt 
sure  that  no  matter  what  troubles  might  spring 
up  to  confront  him  on  the  journey,  the  efficient 
scout  leader  would  be  equal  to  any  emergency. 

Hiram  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  Rob 
Blake.  It  was  founded  on  what  he  had  seen 
the  other  accomplish;  and,  besides,  the  things 
he  had  heard  concerning  that  Mexican  trip,  as 
well  as  the  journey  across  to  the  war  zone  of 
Europe,  had  added  to  his  respect. 

All  that  night  they  boomed  steadily  on. 

Rob  slept  with  Hiram  in  the  lower  berth,  and 
occupied  the  side  nearer  the  aisle,  so  as  to  ease 
the  nervous  chum's  mind  as  much  as  possible. 
Like  most  new  and  inexperienced  travelers,  Hi- 
ram hardly  slept  a  wink  that  first  night;  much 
of  the  time  he  had  the  window-shade  drawn 
back,  and  lay  there  staring  at  the  ghostly  ob- 
jects that  could  be  seen  flitting  past  the  window 
— cabins,  trees,  settlements,  barns,  orchards, 


76  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

rivers  and  all  manner  of  things  the  ever  speed- 
ing train  was  passing  in  its  wake. 

When  morning  finally  came  they  were  so  well 
along  their  way  that  the  country  had  taken  on 
a  new  aspect,  and  Hiram's  interest  grew  by 
leaps  and  bounds.  What  was  more,  since  he 
could  still  feel  that  precious  packet  inside  his 
coat,  where  he  had  at  Rob's  solicitation  pinned 
it  inside  his  pocket,  Hiram's  confidence  became 
much  stronger,  and  the  anxious  look  began  to 
leave  his  thin  face. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  7T 

CHAPTER    VII. 
ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT. 

"We  ought  to  be  in  Los  Angeles  inside  of  five 
hours,  boys." 

Hiram  had  kept  his  face  glued  against  the 
window  so  much  of  the  time  during  the  long 
journey,  when  it  happened  to  be  closed,  that 
Andy  told  him  he  was  getting  a  distinct  curve 
to  his  classic  Roman  nose.  He  turned  on  hear- 
ing Rob  make  this  assertion,  after  consulting 
the  time-table. 

"Well,  for  one,  I  must  say  I  won't  be  sorry," 
he  admitted,  with  a  sigh. 

"But  see  here,  I  thought  you  were  having  the 
time  of  your  life  with  all  this  traveling,  and  see- 
ing so  many  wonderful  sights?"  expostulated 
Andy. 

"That's  all  right,  I  am,"  admitted  Hiram. 
"Still,  a  feller  can  get  too  much  of  a  good  thing, 
can't  he?  Haven't  you  stuffed  yourself  more'n 
once  because  you  liked  the  food  first-class,  and 


78  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

then  "wished  afterward  you  had  gone  slow?  Fact 
is,  I  just  can't  sleep  while  we're  ding-donging 
along  like  hot  cakes.  I  want  to  be  on  a  steady 
footing  for  a  while,  and  go  to  bed  like  a  civilized 
human  being/7 

"But  it's  been  a  great  trip,"  said  Andy. 
"Those  Injuns  at  the  stations  in  Arizona  were 
real  true-blood  Zunis,  all  right.  I'm  mighty 
glad,  though,  we've  made  up  our  minds  to  go 
back  by  way  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  road,  so  as 
to  see  what  the  picturesque  Selkirks  look  like." 

"Yes,"  added  Rob,  "I've  read  so  much  about 
the  Rockies  up  in  British  America  I  want  to  see 
them  with  my  own  eyes.  The  weather  will  be 
a  whole  lot  better  than  in  the  southern  zone, 
where  it's  terrible  in  summer." 

"Oh!  don't  let's  talk  about  coming  back  be- 
fore wre've  even  got  there,"  expostulated  Hiram, 
looking  unhappy.  "I've  got  an  awful  lot  to  do 
before  I  turn  my  face  homeward.  I  hope  it  all 
comes  out  right,  and  that  the  Golden  Gate  Com- 
pany acts  square  with  me." 

"If  you  get  some  money,  Hiram,  I  suppose 
it's  all  laid  out  before  now  in  experiments  that 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  79 

youVe  wanted  to  start  and  couldn't?"  Andy 
hinted. 

"Well,  what  would  you  have  me  do  with  the 
stuff?"  demanded  the  inventor  indignantly.  "I 
expect  to  devote  my  hull  life  to  science.  Hoard- 
ing money  and  discoveries  in  the  realm  of  science 
don't  go  hand  in  hand.  You'll  notice  that  all 
the  big  bugs  of  professors  don't  seem  to  care  a 
lickin'  thing  about  the  cash  they  gain.  What 
they're  after  is  fame  and  glory.  Some  day — but 
never  mind  that  now." 

"You  were  going  to  tell  us  we  might  live  to 
see  you  famous,  eh,  Hiram?"  Andy  chuckled. 
"Well,  stranger  things  have  happened.  Men 
have  become  president  of  these  United  States, 
and  those  who  played  with  the  same  as  boys 
never  dreamed  such  a  thing  would  ever  come 
about.  There's  always  room  at  the  top." 

"Five  hours  will  soon  pass,"  Hiram  went  on  to 
say,  without  paying  any  attention  to  the  little 
slur  there  seemed  to  be  in  this  remark  on  the 
part  of  the  other. 

"There's  one  thing  I  want  to  speak  to  you 


SO  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

about/'  said  Rob,  his  face  assuming  a  look  of 
gravity  that  impressed  Hiram  very  much. 

"What,  me,  do  you  mean,  Rob?"  he  asked 
hurriedly. 

"Yes,"  Rob  told  him.  "Here's  what  it  is.  I've 
noticed  that  you  keep  on  putting  up  your  hand 
every  little  while,  and  feeling  to  see  that  your 
papers  are  safe  inside  your  coat.  It's  become 
second  nature  with  you,  the  habit's  grown  so 
strong." 

"Well,  you  told  me  to  keep  my  mind  on  that 
matter,  and  never  to  forget  it;  and  so  every 
time  it  crops  up  I  guess  I  feel  to  make  doubly 
sure.  What  is  there  wrong  about  that,  Rob,  tell 
me?" 

"Only  this,  Hiram;  you're  getting  so  careless 
that  you  do  it  openly,  and  in  such  a  way  as  to 
attract  attention.  If  a  person  happened  to  see 
you  do  it  once  and  then  later  on  saw  the  move- 
ment repeated,  his  curiosity  might  be  aroused, 
so  that  he  would  fall  into  the  way  of  watching 
how  often  you  did  it." 

"He  might,  that's  so,"  muttered  the  disturbed 
Hiram  uneasily. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  81 

"And  then  the  idea  would  become  a  convic- 
tion that  you  must  be  carrying  something  very 
valuable  in  that  inner  pocket.  You  see,  if  the 
parties  chanced  to  be  crooked,  that  would  make 
them  figure  how  they  could  get  hold  of  your 
property.  So  the  very  movement  which  you 
meant  to  be  a  safeguard  would  prove  your  un- 
doing." 

"Rob,  I'll  try  and  quit  that,  if  you  think  it 
best/'  promised  the  other,  apparently  more  or 
less  impressed  with  the  logic  the  scout  leader  had 
brought  to  bear  on  the  subject. 

"That's  all  very  well,  Hiram,  but  I'm  afraid 
your  repentance  comes  too  late  to  do  much 
good/'  Rob  told  him,  at  which  the  inventor  gave 
a  start,  and  into  his  eyes  there  crept  a  look  of 
concern. 

"Whatever  can  you  mean  by  saying  that, 
Rob?"  he  asked  in  a  troubled  voice. 

"I'll  tell  you,"  said  Rob.  "I'm  afraid  that 
you've  already  attracted  the  attention  you  want- 
ed to  avoid." 

"What!  here  on  this  train,  in  this  sleeper?" 
whispered  Hiram,  appalled. 


83  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Don't  look  up  now,  when  I  mention  the  mat- 
ter, because  they  might  see  you,  for  I  expect 
they're  watching  us.  Both  of  you  have  undoubt- 
edly noticed  two  men  who  sit  back  of  you,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  car,  one  of  them  small  and 
stout,  the  other  tall  and  slim?" 

"Yes,"  Andy  admitted,  "the  tall  one  nodded 
when  he  passed,  and  acted  like  he  wanted  to 
open  up  a  talk  with  me,  but  I  turned  to  the  win- 
dow again  as  if  I  was  too  much  taken  up  with 
the  scenery  here  to  bother." 

"And  the  stout  one  nodded  to  me  when  he 
caught  my  eye,"  said  Hiram.  "  'Course  I  nodded 
back,  but  made  out  not  to  look  that  way  again." 

"Well,  they've  been  holding  considerable  con- 
versation in  low  tones,"  explained  Rob.  "I 
could  manage  to  glimpse  them  in  the  glass  at  our 
end  of  the  car,  though  they  didn't  suspect  me 
of  spying.  Every  time  either  of  you  thought 
to  get  up,  or  even  turn  your  heads  they  made 
out  to  be  half  asleep,  with  their  eyes  shut;  but 
I  could  see  they  were  talking  about  you." 

"Then  mebbe  that  Marsters  did  send  emis- 
saries along  with  me  to  try  and  steal  the  product 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  83 

of  my.  brains!"  complained  Hiram,  with  com- 
pressed lips  and  stern  demeanor. 

"Oh !  that  doesn't  follow  at  all,"  Rob  assured 
him.  "These  fellows  may  just  happen  to  be  a 
pair  of  hard  cases  always  on  the  lookout  for 
signs  of  a  paying  haul.  When  they  noticed  how 
you  kept  feeling  of  your  inside  pocket  they 
guessed  from  the  signs  you  must  have  some- 
thing worth  while  hidden  away  there.  Men  who 
make  their  living  from  the  world  by  sharp  tricks 
get  to  read  character  wonderfully  well." 

"Yes,"  Andy  put  in  just  then,  "they  say  that 
old  and  experienced  customs  inspectors  can  tell 
from  a  person's  looks  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
whether  he  or  she  is  trying  to  smuggle  things 
into  the  country  without  declaring  them." 

"What  can  I  do  about  it  then,  Rob?"  asked 
Hiram. 

"I've  got  a  plan  that  would  fill  the  bill,"  he 
was  told. 

"Yes,  go  on  and  tell  me,  Rob." 

"You  come  with  me  into  the  car  ahead.  We'll 
sit  in  the  smoking  compartment  for  a  few  min- 
utes if  it  happens  to  be  empty.  There  you  can 


84  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

give  me  your  packet,  and  I'll  fasten  it  inside  my 
coat,  handing  over  some  worthless  papers  for 
you  to  do  up  as  if  they  were  priceless  in  value, 
to  pin  in  your  pocket  instead.  Do  you  get  what 
I'm  telling  you,  Hiram?" 

"Rob,  count  me  in,"  the  other  replied  hastily. 
"It's  a  good  thing,  for  even  if  they  did  happen 
to  rob  me  they'd  be  having  their  pains  for  noth- 
ing. When  you're  ready,  give  me  the  tip  and 
I'll  follow  after  you." 

"Andy,"  Rob  continued  impressively,  "as  we 
pass  out  you  change  your  seat  so  that  you're 
facing  the  two  men.  In  that  way  you  can  seem 
to  be  watching,  and  they're  not  so  apt  to  follow 
after  us." 

"All  right,"  muttered  Andy;  "any  time  you  see 
fit  I'm  ready." 

Rob  first  of  all  made  a  little  packet  with  some 
old  letters  taken  from  his  pocket,  and  which  he 
had  been  thinking  of  discarding  for  some  time. 
This  he  could  do  without  exposing  his  hands 
above  the  shelter  afforded  by  the  back  of  the 
seat. 

"All  ready,  Hiram;  get  up,  and  seem  to  be 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  85 

coaxing  me  to  go  with  you.  Finally,  lay  hold  of 
my  sleeve  and  pull  me.  I'll  act  as  if  I  didn't 
much  care  to  accompany  you.  That  will  serve 
to  divert  attention;  and  as  you  pass  the  men 
turn  your  eyes  the  other  way.  If  you  can  be 
saying  something  about  some  one  being  glad  to 
see  me,  it  would  make  them  believe  we  knew  a 
passenger  in  one  of  the  forward  cars." 

How  Rob  did  look  to  the  small  details  of 
everything  he  undertook!  He  knew  from  past 
experiences  that  after  all  these  are  what  bring 
success  in  the  long  run. 

Although  Rob  had  told  Hiram  to  turn  his 
head  the  other  way  while  nearing  the  two  sus- 
picious men,  he  himself  gave  them  a  nod  in 
passing,  just  the  salutation  one  traveler  is  apt  to 
bestow  upon  another  when  they  have  been  fel- 
low passengers  in  the  same  car  for  hours,  per- 
haps days. 

Rob  did  that  purposely;  he  knew  it  would 
serve  to  allay  any  suspicion  that  may  have  been 
bred  in  the  minds  of  the  men  to  the  effect  that 
their  actions  had  been  observed. 

Once  in  the  car  ahead,  they  found  that  for  a 


86  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

wonder  the  smoking  compartment  happened  to 
be  empty.  Taking  advantage  of  this  chance,  Hi- 
ram hurriedly  unpinned  the  packet  he  had  guard- 
ed so  closely,  and  gave  it  into  the  possession 
of  his  chum.  In  its  stead  he  secured  the  dummy 
in  his  pocket. 

All  this  had  consumed  hardly  two  minutes  of 
time.  Rob  was  careful  to  notice  that  not  a  single 
soul  had  passed  the  door  of  the  compartment; 
and  as  soon  as  the  exchange  had  been  effected  he 
stepped  out  in  order  to  take  a  survey  of  the 
car,  to  find  that  neither  of  the  two  suspicious 
men  had  actually  followed  them  from  the  other 
sleeper. 

"That  job's  finished,  and  I  feel  a  whole  lot 
easier  in  my  mind,"  admitted  Hiram. 

"No  matter  whether  I  was  right  or  not,  there's 
no  harm  been  done,"  Rob  told  him;  "and  now, 
Hiram,  see  that  every  five  minutes  or  so  you 
keep  on  feeling  your  coat  as  you  were  doing  it 
before.  I'm  more  than  curious  to  know  whether 
they'll  try  it  or  not." 

"Well,"  chuckled  the  other,  as  if  amused,  "if 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  87 

they  don't  it  isn't  goin'  to  be  for  want  of  chances, 
I  tell  you  that,  Rob." 

"Let's  get  back  to  our  places,"  the  scout  leader 
added,  "because  I  don't  feel  altogether  safe 
away  from  my  suitcase,  with  all  that  wonderful 
stuff  in  it  the  professor  said  represented  so  much 
research  and  effort  that  made  it  priceless." 

The  two  men  were  there  as  they  had  left  them. 
Rob  again  nodded  carelessly  when  he  found  that 
the  short  man  was  eagerly  watching  to  catch  his 
eyes;  but  he  did  not  stop  to  enter  into  any  con- 
versation when  the  other  made  some  casual  re- 
mark, only  replying  over  his  shoulder  as  he 
passed  on. 

"They  kept  talking  like  a  blue  streak  while 
you  were  gone,"  said  Andy,  after  the  other  two 
had  seated  themselves.  "Twice  the  tall  man 
stepped  off  as  if  he  meant  to  follow  you,  but 
he  must  have  thought  better  of  it,  for  he  turned 
back  before  getting  out  of  the  car,  and  shook 
his  head  at  the  other  one.  They  are  up  to  some- 
thing evil,  Rob,  take  my  word  for  it." 

"We  only  have  one  more  meal  aboard  the 
train,  and  then  comes  the  hotel  at  Los  Angeles/' 


83  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

said  Hiram.  "I  guess  we  can  hold  'em  off  that 
much  longer/' 

"You  see  how  you  can  overdo  things  by  being 
too  much  on  your  guard,  Hiram,"  Rob  explained. 
"Only  for  the  way  you  kept  on  feeling  your 
pocket  they  would  never  have  suspected  that  Boy 
Scouts  traveling  alone  could  own  anything  worth 
stealing.  The  best  way  to  do  is  to  make  things 
secure,  and  then  appear  to  forget  all  about 
them." 

"I  will  at  another  time,  Rob;  but  between  the 
way  that  Marsters  acted,  and  the  caution  these 
people  on  the  Coast  impressed  on  me,  it  all  got 
on  my  nerves.  You  see,  I  thought  it  was  only 
business  to  tell  the  Golden  Gate  people  how 
Eastern  concerns  had  men  buzzing  me  con- 
tinually to  sell  to  them.  That  made  them  warn 
me  not  to  take  anyone  into  my  confidence  while 
traveling.  They  know  some  unscrupulous  firms 
would  steal  an  idea  as  big  as  my  invention,  if 
they  could  get  away  with  it.  But  it's  all  right 
now,  and  they  can  whistle  for  their  prize  for  all 
I  care." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  89 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  SHOCK  AT  LOS  ANGELAS. 

The  time  passed,  and  when  one  of  the  waiters 
passed  through  to  announce  supper,  the  boys  had 
laid  out  their  program.  As  before,  Rob  and  Hi- 
ram were  to  go  first,  while  Andy  held  the  fort 
for  them. 

"Remember  and  don't  leave  the  seat  under  any 
condition  while  we're  gone,"  was  what  the  scout 
leader  told  Andy. 

"Do  you  suspect  that  they  might  even  try  to 
get  away  with  our  hand  baggage?"  asked  the 
other.  "I  thought  it  was  only  Hiram's  pockets 
they  wanted  to  explore/' 

"If  they  are  thieves  nothing  is  safe  from 
them,"  explained  Rob.  "  'An  ounce  of  preven- 
tion is  better  than  a  pound  of  cure/  Keep  your 
foot  on  my  bag  as  you  sit  here.  If  anybody  tries 
to  tempt  you  to  change  seats  just  say  you've  got 
a  bone  in  your  leg,  and  don't  care  to  move  around 
more  than  you  can  help." 


90  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Sure  thing!"  chuckled  Andy;  "it  hurts  ter- 
ribly, too ;  and  the  only  thing  that  is  able  to  make 
me  use  it  is  the  walk  to  the  dinner — the  cake- 
walk  I  call  it.  Leave  it  all  to  me,  Rob;  I'm 
frozen  to  this  seat." 

Accordingly,  the  pair  passed  along  the  aisle 
and  headed  for  the  dining-car.  Again  the  two 
men  did  their  best  to  be  civil,  even  nodding  and 
smiling  genially  as  the  two  boys  passed  them. 

"Rob,  they're  chasing  after  us !"  muttered  Hi- 
ram, in  some  little  anxiety,  just  as  he  and  his 
chum  had  entered  the  next  car  and  were  passing 
along  the  narrow  corridor. 

"All  right,  there's  no  law  to  prevent  them 
from  getting  hungry  at  the  same  time  we  do," 
replied  Rob  over  his  shoulder. 

"But  they  may  choose  to  sit  down  with  us  at 
the  same  table,  and  make  themselves  chummy," 
objected  the  other. 

"I  guess  not  if  we  knowr  it,"  Rob  told  him. 

"How  can  we  help  it  without  making  some 
sort  of  scene?"  asked  Hiram. 

"That's  easy  enough,  if  we  can  pick  a  table 
that  only  accommodates  two,"  explained  the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  91 

scout  leader,  "and  as  we're  in  the  advance,  we 
have  our  choice." 

"Oh!" 

Evidently,  Hiram  was  considerably  relieved 
by  what  his  comrade  had  said.  He  once  more 
realized  that  Rob  promised  to  be  equal  to  the 
occasion.  Indeed,  the  record  of  past  achieve- 
ments should  have  told  Hiram  this  long  ago ;  but 
in  the  presence  of  new  dangers  he  was  apt  to 
forget  what  splendid  things  Rob  had  accom- 
plished on  other  occasions  when  the  tide  seemed 
adverse. 

Upon  entering  the  dining-car  Rob  smiled  to 
see  that  there  was  just  one  table  seating  two 
that  did  not  have  some  one  at  it. 

"There's  our  chance,  Rob,  down  at  the  fur- 
ther end  of  the  car!"  said  Hiram  hastily,  as 
though  he  feared  the  other  might  not  see  the 
table. 

Rob  took  the  chair  that  placed  his  back  against 
the  partition.  This  allowed  him  to  survey  the 
rest  of  the  car.  Nothing  could  have  suited  his 
plans  better,  for  there  was  a  small  mirror  that 


92  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

he  could  use  to  spy  upon  the  two  men  who  were 
now  sitting  facing  him,  halfway  up  the  car. 

As  the  meal  progressed  and  evening  drew  on, 
the  electric  lights  in  the  diner  were  turned  on. 
Hiram  somehow  seemed  to  lack  his  voracious  ap- 
petite. 

"Don't  just  know  what's  the  cause,  Rob,"  he 
remarked,  when  the  other  accused  him  of  not 
disposing  of  much  of  the  food  he  had  ordered, 
"it  may  be  the  rocking  of  the  car,  which  is 
fierce  just  now;  or  else  it  comes  of  my  riding 
backward.  I've  been  told  that  some  people  never 
can  stand  for  that.  But  I  guess  I  won't  starve 
to  death  between  now  and  morning." 

The  two  men  talked  a  good  deal,  but  then 
there  was  nothing  suspicious  in  that.  Rob  also 
noticed  that  they  watched  him  and  companion 
from  time  to  time,  as  if  their  interest  kept  on 
growing. 

When  Hiram  happened  to  think  of  his  instruc- 
tions, and  occasionally  raised  a  hand  to  feel  for 
his  coat  in  the  region  of  that  inner  pocket,  Rob 
kept  a  close  watch  on  the  men.  He  could  plainly 
see  the  shorter  one  nudge  his  companion  in  the 


PAXAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  93 

side,  and  say  something,  for  his  lips  moved.  Un- 
doubtedly he  was  calling  the  other's  attention 
to  Hiram's  suggestive  movement,  and  while  not 
a  lip-reader,  Rob  could  easily  imagine  him  say- 
ing half  under  his  breath: 

"See,  there  he  goes  at  it  again!  Just  as  we 
decided,  he  must  have  something  rich  hidden 
away  there.  And  we're  fools  if  we  don't  make 
a  big  bid  for  it!" 

Rob  was  by  this  time  fully  satisfied  that  the 
men  had  evil  designs  on  his  comrade's  inside 
pocket.  He  was  determined  to  be  unusually 
careful  about  riding  in  a  public  conveyance  while 
in  Los  Angeles,  since  that  would  give  the  ras- 
cals a  chance  to  accomplish  their  purpose. 

"If  you're  satisfied,  Hiram,  let's  be  getting 
out  of  here,"  said  Rob,  who  had  seen  the  two 
men  getting  an  extra  portion  of  food,  believing 
that  this  might  be  a  good  chance  to  leave  them 
in  the  lurch,  since  they  would  hardly  jump  up 
and  accompany  the  boys,  for  fear  of  attracting 
attention. 

The  two  scouts  quickly  arose,  seized  their 
hats,  and  passed  along  between  the  tables,  which 


94  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

were  pretty  generally  occupied  by  that  time.  Rob 
took  occasion  to  keep  his  eyes  on  the  two  men, 
for  several  reasons.  He  even  returned  their 
nods  as  though  no  such  thing  as  a  suspicion  re- 
garding their  honesty  had  come  into  his  head. 

"They  missed  that  chance,  anyhow!"  Hiram 
remarked,  as  with  some  difficulty  they  threaded 
their  way  through  the  next  car,  for  the  train 
was  making  fast  time,  and  things  rolled  more  or 
less. 

"We've  got  to  keep  on  the  alert  all  the  time 
if  we  expect  to  leave  those  smart  chaps  in  the 
lurch/'  Rob  told  him.  "You  know  the  old  say- 
ing, 'eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of  liberty/ 
and  it  applies  to  us  right  now." 

"Then  you  don't  think  they've  given  up  all 
hope  yet,  Rob?" 

"That  kind  of  men  never  do  until  they've 
exhausted  every  plan,"  the  scout  leader  replied. 
"I  expect  that  right  now  they've  got  some  scheme 
in  mind  they  mean  to  spring  on  us  if  they  get  but 
half  a  chance." 

Reaching  their  section  in  the  sleeper,  they  sent 
Andy  ahead  to  get  his  supper.  He  told  them  he 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  95 

was  as  hungry  as  a  wolf,  and  would  make  up 
for  what  Hiram  failed  to  dispose  of,  so  that  the 
company  should  not  get  too  rich  off  what  they 
paid  into  its  coffers. 

After  a  while  the  men  came  in  and  took  their 
seats.  Rob  was  a  little  afraid  one  of  them  might 
be  bold  enough  to  push  himself  upon  them.  He 
had  prepared  for  this  during  their  absence  by 
having  Hiram  sit  alongside  of  him  next  the  win- 
dow, while  the  other  seat  was  piled  high  with 
some  of  their  luggage,  thus  offering  no  chance 
for  a  third  party  to  find  room. 

But  it  proved  a  false  alarm.  Neither  of  the 
men  made  any  advance  whatever,  and  Rob  be- 
lieved they  had  figured  that  action  on  their  part 
while  on  the  train  might  get  them  into  trouble. 

"The  time  will  come  when  we  are  in  the  sta- 
tion at  Los  Angeles/'  he  told  Hiram. 

"Do  you  really  think  so?"  asked  the  other 
curiously;  and  it  might  be  noticed  that  he  did 
not  seem  to  be  trembling  any  longer;  for  since 
his  packet  was  safe  in  the  possession  of  Rob 
Blake,  Hiram  did  not  see  any  necessity  for  fur- 
ther worrying  over  the  matter. 


96  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"We  must  be  careful  every  minute  of  the  time 
until  we  reach  the  hotel/'  the  scout  leader  ex- 
plained. 

"Huh!  do  you  know,  Rob,  what  I've  got  a 
good  notion  to  do?" 

"Be  reckless,  perhaps,"  chuckled  the  other, 
guessing  this,  perhaps,  from  the  little  boastful 
strain  he  detected  in  the  language  Hiram  used. 

"Why,  to  be  frank  with  you,  Rob,  I  really 
feel  sorry  for  those  chumps.  They've  taken  a 
whole  lot  of  interest  in  a  poor  country  chap  like 
me,  and  it  seems  a  shame  they  should  be  bit- 
terly disappointed." 

"Oh !  that's  the  way  things  set,  do  they  ?"  con- 
tinued Rob.  "You  feel  so  bad  on  their  account 
that  you're  tempted  to  give  them  a  chance  to 
steal  that  dummy  packet  you  have  fastened  in- 
side your  pocket?" 

"I've  gone  so  far  as  to  take  the  pin  out,  you 
see,"  chuckled  Hiram.  "If  they  do  get  busy 
they  needn't  have  the  worry  of  that  to  keep 
them  back.  And  when  you  look  at  it  in  the  right 
light,  Rob,  wouldn't  that  be  just  the  quickest  way 
to  get  rid  of  the  slick  rascals?" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  97 

"Well,  the  chances  are  that  if  they  did  man- 
age to  lay  hands  on  your  packet,  they'd  disap- 
pear in  a  big  hurry,  Hiram." 

"All  right,  then.  Let  them  make  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  I'll  try  to  be  as  accommodating  as 
possible.  You  know,  Rob,  that  I'm  said  to  be 
an  easy  mark  among  the  boys  of  Hampton.  I 
hate  to  disappoint  anybody  in  the  worst  way." 

"Here  comes  Andy,  and  he  looks  as  if  he  has 
enjoyed  his  supper  first-rate,  too,"  Rob  remarked 
"I  hope  he  doesn't  let  them  get  him  into  conver- 
sation for  an  entering  wedge.  I  forgot  to  warn 
him  about  that." 

Apparently  Andy  was  wise  enough  on  his  own 
account  to  know  the  folly  of  such  a  move,  as  he 
pushed  past  the  two  men,  paying  no  attention 
even  when  one  of  them  plucked  at  his  sleeve. 

"One  more  hour  and  we'll  be  there,  the  con- 
ductor told  me,"  he  announced. 

"Then  we  must  be  about  on  time,  according 
to  the  schedule,"  said  Hiram,  who  had  worn  his 
time-table  almost  to  shreds  by  consulting  it  so 
often  on  the  long  journey  from  New  York  City. 

They  proceeded  to  get  all  their  belongings  5n 


98  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

shape,  so  there  would  be  nothing  to  delay  them, 
once  the  station  was  reached.  Rob  had  decided 
to  take  a  carriage  to  the  Hotel  Alexandria,  and 
thus  avoid  all  possible  contact  with  strangers. 

When  the  porter  announced  that  they  were  en- 
tering Los  Angeles  there  was  considerable  con- 
fusion, as  passengers  caught  up  such  of  their 
hand  luggage  as  had  not  been  already  piled  near 
the  door  by  the  porter. 

Rob  had  resolutely  declined  to  let  the  negro 
touch  his  suitcase,  though  his  liberal  tip  to  the 
man  made  him  eager  to  be  of  some  assistance. 
The  boy  knew  that  at  this  point  there  was  apt  to 
crop  up  a  crisis;  and  also  that  the  good  record 
held  up  to  that  time  might  be  shattered  through 
any  carelessness  on  his  part. 

Consequently,  he  held  fast  to  his  grip  as  he 
followed  Hiram  out  of  the  car,  this  mode  of  pro- 
cedure having  all  been  settled  upon  beforehand. 
It  gave  Rob  a  chance  to  keep  his  eagle  eye  on  the 
figure  of  Hiram;  and  so  long  as  he  was  able  to 
do  that  he  did  not  believe  the  other  could  be  spir- 
ited away,  or  his  pocket  picked. 

"Look  out  for  getting  in  a  crush,  Hiram,"  Rob 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  99 

whispered  in  the  other's  ear  as  they  passed  along 
the  narrow  corridor. 

"They  went  out  ahead  of  us,  Rob,"  Hiram  in- 
formed him,  as  he  turned  his  head. 

"Yes,  I  know  that,  but  we're  going  to  run  up 
against  those  men  again  before  we  are  out  of 
this  scrape,"  the  scout  leader  prophesied. 

"Well,  I'm  awful  glad  we're  in  at  last.  That 
was  a  long  trip,  and  I'm  tired  of  the  old  car," 
said  the  one  in  the  lead.  "Thank  goodness  we'll 
soon  be  landed  in  San  Francisco,  where  my  busi- 
ness can  be  settled,  one  way  or  the  other." 

"I  see  them,  Rob !"  announced  Andy,  just  then. 

"Yes,  and  they're  waiting  for  us,  just  as  I 
thought,"  ventured  Rob.  "We'll  push  straight 
on  to  where  we  can  get  a  carriage,  and  then  leave 
them  in  the  lurch.  Above  all,  nobody  must  stop 
to  talk ;  keep  walking,  and  stick  together !" 

"That's  understood,  Rob!"  came  from  Hiram; 
while  Andy  in  the  rear  gave  a  grunt  as  if  to  sig- 
nify that  he  had  it  all  fixed  in  his  mind. 

There  was  a  lively  scene  as  friends  rushed  this 
way  and  that  to  find  those  for  whom  they  were 
waiting;  and  as  the  three  scouts  walked  steadily 


100  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

along  in  line,  headed  for  the  exit  where  the  car- 
riages were  to  be  found,  the  two  men  suddenly 
appeared  alongside  them. 

"Sorry  to  bother  you  young  fellows/'  said  the 
tall  man,  in  a  low  but  commanding  voice,  "but  we 
are  United  States  marshals,  and  you  must  con- 
sider yourselves  bound  to  come  with  us,  for  you 
are  under  arrest  f 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  101 

CHAPTER  IX. 
TURNING  THE  TABLES  ON  TWO  ROGUES. 

"Arrested !  Oh !  my  stars !"  ejaculated  Hiram, 
falling  to  trembling  when  he  felt  the  hand  of 
the  tall  stranger  drop  heavily  upon  his  shoulder. 

"Whew!  this  is  a  warm  reception  to  Califor- 
nia for  a  fact !"  burst  out  Andy,  in  considerable 
consternation,  as  he  dropped  his  bundles,  and 
stood  there  staring  at  the  two  mysterious  men. 

Rob,  too,  was  somewhat  staggered  at  the  ab- 
rupt accusation,  though  he  quickly  rallied  his 
senses,  and  found  his  tongue. 

"Where's  your  warrant  for  doing  this?"  he 
demanded  of  the  shorter  man,  who  immediately 
flipped  back  his  coat  to  disclose  some  sort  of 
nickel  badge  pinned  to  his  vest,  not  giving  Rob 
enough  time  to  make  it  out. 

"We  don't  need  any  warrant,  being  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Government,"  this  worthy  assured 
him  in  as  gruff  a  tone  as  possible. 

"But  who  do  you  take  us  for,  and  what  are 


102  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

we  accused  of  doing?"  asked  Rob,  continuing  to 
keep  a  firm  grip  on  his  suitcase  through  it  all, 
though  he  allowed  his  eyes  to  rove  around  in 
search  of  a  policeman. 

"Never  mind  about  that,  my  boy ;  you  will  find 
it  all  out  after  we  have  arraigned  you  before  the 
United  States  Commissioner.  We've  been 
watching  your  party  for  some  time,  and  believe 
we've  bagged  the  right  birds.  Now,  for  your 
sake,  we  don't  want  to  make  a  scene,  so  we'll 
just  lock  arms  with  you,  and  pass  out  of  the 
station  that  way  to  take  a  vehicle.  If  you  know 
what's  good  for  you,  pay  no  attention  to  any 
one;  and  if  you  attempt  to  escape,  remember, 
we're  prepared  to  shoot." 

The  tall  man  at  that  eagerly  thrust  a  hand 
through  the  left  arm  of  Hiram,  who  made  no  re- 
sistance. Rob,  even  in  that  exciting  moment, 
noticed  that  he  had  managed  to  get  on  the  side 
nearest  the  pocket  where  the  inventor  had  placed 
his  valuable  papers,  now  snugly  reposing  on 
Rob's  person.  It  was  very  significant,  to  say 
the  least;  and  Rob  began  immediately  to  dis- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  103 

cover  what  Hiram  would  have  called  "the  nig- 
ger in  the  woodpile." 

"Come  on,  then,  boys,"  said  Rob,  "we're  in 
for  it,  and  there's  no  need  of  kicking  up  any  dis- 
turbance. We'll  go  before  the  Commissioner 
and  prove  our  innocence." 

"That's  right  sensible  of  you,  young  fellow!" 
declared  the  shorter  man,  as  he  took  hold  of 
Rob's  arm  and  escorted  him  along. 

Other  people  were  pushing  past,  but  were  so 
busy  with  their  own  affairs  that  they  did  not 
seem  to  pay  any  attention  to  the  little  drama  be- 
ing enacted  on  the  station  platform. 

A  minute  later  and  Rob  believed  the  time  had 
come  to  act. 

"Not  that  way,  son;  we're  meaning  to  take  a 
carriage  over  here,"  said  the  tall  man,  designat- 
ing the  opposite  direction  to  that  in  which  Rob 
had  turned. 

"Please  yourselves,  gentlemen,"  said  Rob,  sud- 
denly displaying  quite  a  different  manner. 
"We've  decided  that  we  want  to  go  out  this  way; 
and  that  policeman  standing  there  has  his  eye 
on  us  this  very  minute.  I  think  I  had  better  call 


104  THE  EOT  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

him  over  and  ask  him  to  get  you  to  show  your 
colors." 

"That's  the  stuff!"  said  Andy,  recklessly,  all 
the  pent-up  indignation  that  had  been  boiling 
within  him  breaking  loose. 

Had  a  bomb  fallen  near  them,  the  two  men 
could  not  have  shown  more  concern.  They  must 
have  realized  that  their  shrewd  little  game  had 
been  called. 

"Guess  we've  made  a  mistake  about  this  busi- 
ness, McGuire!"  said  the  short  man,  hastily  look- 
ing around  him  as  though  desirous  of  discover- 
ing a  good  opening  for  flight. 

"Seems  that  way  to  me,  Colonel;  and  we'll 
say  good-by  to  you,  boys!" 

"Why,  they've  gone!"  cried  Andy,  as  though 
he  could  hardly  believe  his  eyes. 

Rob  had  really  been  on  the  point  of  summon- 
ing the  officer  standing  there ;  but  since  the  ras- 
cals had  chosen  to  run  and  mingle  with  the  out- 
pouring crowd,  and  Rob  did  not  wish  to  have 
attention  called  to  himself  and  chums,  he  wisely 
held  his  tongue. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  105 

Hiram  was  laughing  to  himself  as  though  it 
struck  him  in  the  light  of  a  good  joke. 

"What  ails  you,  Hiram?"  asked  Andy,  not 
yet  abk  to  grasp  the  situation  sufficiently  to  see 
the  humorous  side  of  it. 

"Fin  only  wondering  what  they'll  say  when 
they  come  to  find  out  how  they've  been  so  badly 
sold,  that's  all,"  replied  the  inventor,  again  in- 
dulging in  one  of  his  laughing  fits. 

"Did  they  get  it?"  demanded  Rob,  instantly, 
guessing  that  there  was  a  reason  for  all  this 
hilarity  on  the  part  of  the  other  chum. 

"Oh !  he  slicked  it  out  of  my  pocket  the  cutest 
way  you  ever  saw,"  replied  Hiram.  "I  felt  his 
hand  going  in,  so  I  held  my  breath  to  give  him 
all  the  chance  I  could;  and  he  did  it,  too,  sure 
he  did!" 

"Got  the  papers,  you  mean,  don't  you,  Hi- 
ram?" asked  Rob. 

"The  dummy  you  made  up  for  me,  Rob." 

Then  both  the  others  had  occasion  to  smile 
broadly. 

"Hope  they'll  enjoy  reading  those  letters  the 


106  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

boys  wrote  me  while  we  were  over  in  Europe 
last  fall,"  Rob  remarked. 

"I'd  give  a  heap  to  see  them  when  they  find 
what  a  wonderful  windfall  they've  struck  to  pay 
them  for  all  their  trouble,"  said  Andy. 

"Well,  let's  get  a  conveyance  and  start  for  the 
Alexandria  without  any  more  delay,"  advised 
the  scout  leader. 

"Me  for  a  comfy  bed  to-night,"  Hiram 
laughed;  "better  get  a  room  with  plenty  of  space 
for  all  of  us,  Rob.  After  this  excitement  to 
greet  us  on  reaching  California,  I  think  it  would 
be  as  well  to  stick  together  till  we've  unloaded 
our  cargo,  and  have  our  time  to  ourselves." 

They  were  soon  at  the  hotel.  They  were  taken 
up  to  the  fifth  floor,  on  which  were  three  con- 
necting rooms. 

"High  enough  up  so  we  needn't  be  afraid  of 
any  one  climbing  in  at  the  window,"  Hiram  re- 
marked, after  he  had  first  of  all  taken  in  the 
view,  with  the  late  moon  just  peeping  above  the 
mountains  in  the  east. 

"Oh!  no  danger  of  those  two  fellows  chasing 
after  us  any  longer,"  laughed  Andy.  "They  got 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  107 

their  fill  of  it,  and  will  pick  out  somebody  be- 
sides scouts  for  their  next  victims.  Who  got 
bit,  I  want  to  know?" 

As  everybody  laughed  and  seemed  satisfied, 
it  could  be  set  down  as  positive  that  the  three 
scouts  were  not  feeling  badly  over  the  adven- 
ture that  had  marked  their  introduction  to  the 
Coast. 

The  night  passed  without  any  incident  worthy 
of  recording.  Hiram  declared  that  he  never 
knew  a  single  thing  after  his  head  touched  the 
pillow ;  he  was  so  much  in  need  of  a  good  night's 
sleep  that  he  must  have  dropped  off  instantly, 
to  be  finally  aroused  by  hearing  Rob  announce 
it  was  time  for  breakfast. 

They  determined  to  put  their  valuables  in  the 
hotel  safe,  and  spend  several  days  in  and  around 
Los  Angeles,  though  they  would  not  have  time 
to  run  down  to  San  Diego  and  visit  the  other 
big  exposition  which  was  in  full  blast  there. 

This  they  did,  and  enjoyed  every  minute  of 
the  time,  though  they  were  never  long  in  one 
place,  so  many  things  did  they  have  to  see. 

It  being  Hiram's  first  chance  to  look  upon 


103  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

tropical  vegetation,  he  was  highly  delighted  with 
what  he  saw  in  the  streets  and  public  gardens 
of  the  bustling  city. 

Then  they  went  out  to  visit  an  orange  grove, 
and  besides  that,  inspected  numerous  enterprises 
connected  with  the  great  fruit-growing  belt 
around  Riverside.  This  place  the  boys  were 
ready  to  declare — with  its  groves  covering  the 
broad  valley,  and  with  the  mountains,  their  tops 
snow-covered,  looming  up  beyond — to  be  the 
most  delightful  town  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

But  the  boys  came  to  the  conclusion  that  while 
all  these  things  were  truly  wonderful  and  espe- 
cially delightful,  they  had  not  come  out  to  the 
coast  on  a  pleasure  jaunt;  and  hence  no  further 
time  should  be  spent  in  this  way  until  they  had 
accomplished  the  several  duties  that  awaited 
their  attention. 

"I've  made  arrangements  for  seats  in  the  par- 
lor-car with  the  train  leaving  to-morrow  morn- 
ing," Rob  announced  on  the  second  evening,  as 
they  discussed  supper  and  the  many  things  they 
had  seen  since  early  morning. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  109 

"When  will  we  get  to  San  Francisco  then?" 
asked  Hiram. 

"After  dark/'  Rob  informed  him.  "It's  more 
than  three  hundred  miles  away,  you  know,  for 
California  is  a  big  State,  especially  from  north 
to  south." 

"According  to  that,  then,  Rob/'  continued  the 
other,  "on  the  day  after  to-morrow  we  ought  to 
be  taking  in  some  of  the  sights  of  the  World's 
Fair." 

"That's  our  programme,"  admitted  the  leader 
and  guide  of  the  expedition,  as  he  threw  down 
his  napkin,  and  pushed  his  chair  away,  in  which 
he  was  copied  a  little  reluctantly,  perhaps,  by 
both  his  companions. 

"Excuse  me  for  not  asking  if  you  were 
through,  Hiram,"  said  Rob  in  an  aside,  "but  hon- 
estly I  was  afraid  Andy  would  founder  if  he 
ate  any  more.  He's  developed  such  an  enormous 
appetite  since  landing  here,  there's  liable  to  be 
an  explosion  unless  we  watch  him  pretty  close." 

"He'll  eat  up  all  your  spare  cash,  that's  the 
worst  of  it,"  complained  Hiram,  who  was  a  lit- 
tle inclined  to  be  close  with  his  money  as  a  rule ; 


110  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

possibly  because  he  had  found  a  pressing  need 
for  every  dollar  in  conducting  his  numerous  ex- 
periments, for  it  costs  more  or  less  to  "potter" 
with  schemes  along  the  line  of  invention. 

Rob  only  laughed,  and  it  was  very  evident  that 
this  contingency  did  not  worry  him  to  any  great 
extent.  He  knew  there  were  ample  funds  at 
hand  for  all  ordinary  expenses,  with  more  com- 
ing if  needed. 

They  were  off  on  the  morning  train,  and  all 
through  that  day  enjoyed  the  scenery  that  was 
spread  out  before  them — through  Santa  Barbara 
and  on  up  until  it  reached  San  Francisco. 

That  day's  journey  would  never  be  forgotten 
by  any  of  the  three  scouts.  They  stored  a  thou- 
sand incidents  away  in  their  memories  for  fu- 
ture enjoyment. 

As  evening  came  on  they  knew  they  must  be 
getting  in  the  vicinity  of  the  great  city  that  had 
recovered  from  the  horrors  of  the  earthquake 
and  destruction  by  fire  with  such  marvelous  speed 
as  to  awaken  the  admiration  of  the  whole  world. 

"You  can  see  the  light  in  the  sky  whenever 
the  train  makes  a  turn/'  remarked  Andy  to  Hi- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  111 

ram  who,  as  usual,  had  his  nose  glued  against 
the  glass. 

Taking  a  carriage  after  they  had  left  the  train 
they  soon  found  themselves  installed  at  the  Fair- 
mont Hotel,  which  Rob  had  been  told  to  patron- 
ize by  Judge  Collins,  because  of  its  fine  view  of 
San  Francisco  Bay,  and  the  Golden  Gate,  as  well 
as  possibly  the  glimpses  to  be  obtained  of  the 
illuminated  towers  in  the  Exposition  grounds 
along  the  shore. 

It  was  after  nine  when  they  arrived,  and  of 
course  the  boys  were  not  foolish  enough  to  think 
of  attempting  anything  until  they  had  slept,  and 
felt  reinvigorated. 

Looking  from  the  windows  of  the  large  room 
they  had  taken,  with  two  double  beds  in  it,  they 
\vent  into  raptures  over  the  scene.  The  moon, 
though  due  before  long,  had  not  yet  risen,  and 
it  seemed  as  though  a  million  lights  dazzled  their 
eyes  in  every  direction,  and  made  it  look  like  a 
scene  from  fairyland. 

And  so,  in  due  time,  they  sought  their  beds, 
and  slept  so  close  to  the  Great  Exposition  that  it 
would  seem  as  though  the  whirr  of  innumerable 


112  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

wheels  in  Machinery  Hall,  or  the  murmur  of  the 
multitude  of  visitors  roaming  about  the  extensive 
grounds,  must  of  necessity  be  borne  aloft  to  the 
ears  of  the  three  eager  lads  who  had  come  thou- 
sands of  miles  to  view  the  wonders  of  the  dis- 
play. 

But,  at  any  rate,  they  managed  to  put  in  a  rest- 
ful night,  and  when  morning  routed  them  from 
their  beds,  they  were  in  fine  fettle  to  begin  the 
first  day's  sight-seeing. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  113 

CHAPTER  X. 

WITHIN   TH£  GATES  OF-  tfHE   FAIR. 


"What  about  those  papers  of  mine,  Rob? 
Had  I  better  take  charge  of  the  same  now,  or 
let  you  continue  to  keep  them?" 

Hiram  asked  this  question  as  they  arose  after 
finishing  their  breakfast,  and  found  themselves 
facing  the  business  of  the  first  day  at  the  Expo- 
sition. The  whole  city,  as  far  as  they  could  see, 
was  in  gala  attire.  Bunting  and  flags  were  every- 
where visible;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  good 
people  of  San  Francisco,  in  spite  of  many  great 
discouragements,  such  as  the  breaking  out  of  the 
World  War  abroad,  and  the  failure  of  the  canal 
to  stay  dug  on  account  of  the  slides,  were  doing 
all  in  their  power  to  make  the  fair  a  huge  suc- 
cess. 

"If  you  leave  it  with  me  to  decide,  Hiram,"  the 
scout  leader  remarked,  "I'd  say  no  to  both  your 
propositions." 

"But  what's  to  be  done  with  them,  then?"  cried 


114  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

Hiram,  as  though  puzzled  by  what  the  other  had 
just  said. 

"He  means  to  duplicate  our  plan  down  at  Los 
Angeles,"  spoke  up  wideawake  Andy. 

"Oh!  put  them  in  the  hotel  safe  till  they're 
wanted,  is  that  the  idea,  Rob?"  demanded  the 
owner  of  the  said  packet  that  had  been  giving 
them  all  manner  of  trouble  since  the  time  they 
left  San  Antonio  in  Texas. 

"That  seems  the  best  scheme,  according  to 
my  mind,"  Hiram  was  told  by  the  one  in  whom 
he  felt  such  abiding  faith.  "Then,  no  matter 
what  you  find  out  about  those  people  you've  come 
to  see,  the  papers  needn't  worry  you." 

"Guess  you're  right  about  that,  Rob,  and  it's 
a  go.  Just  as  like  as  not  I  would  be  doing  some 
fool  play,  and  mebbe  losing  the  precious  docu- 
ments that  are  to  prove  my  case  with  the  Golden 
Gate  folks.  Til  go  to  the  desk  with  you  any 
time  you're  ready,  and  see  that  the  clerk  gets 
my  property  snugged  away  in  his  safe." 

When  this  had  been  done  they  set  out.  Rob, 
of  course,  had  his  suitcase  along  with  him.  He 
had  taken  out  what  few  things  of  his  own  it 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  115 

contained,  and  now  it  held  only  the  precious 
documents  and  other  small  exhibits  that  Profes- 
sor McEwen  had  been  carrying  in  person  to  his 
scientific  colleagues  at  the  Exposition,  where  they 
were  to  be  placed  with  other  articles. 

What  those  numerous  small  rolls  and  pack- 
ages contained  none  of  the  scouts  really  knew. 
From  some  remarks,  let  fall  by  Judge  Collins, 
Rob  had  an  idea  they  might  be  papyrus  records 
found  in  some  old  ancient  tomb  or  pyramid,  and 
said  to  have  come  down  from  thousands  of  years 
back.  To  the  boys  these  would  not  have  been 
worth  their  bulk  in  sandwiches,  possibly,  because 
they  could  not  appreciate  their  intrinsic  value; 
but  in  the  eyes  of  such  men  as  the  Scotch  pro- 
fessor they  represented  treasures  beyond  any 
computation,  far  too  valuable  to  be  intrusted  to 
a  common  express  company  that  might  lose  them, 
or  deliver  them  in  a  crushed  condition. 

"There's  a  tower  I  can  see ;  it  must  be  the  one 
that  from  our  window  last  night  seemed  as  if 
a  million  fireflies  had  lighted  on  it,"  announced 
Andy,  with  more  or  less  excitement  as  they  found 


116  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

themselves  close  to  one  of  the  gates  where  en- 
trance to  the  Exposition  grounds  could  be  had. 

"Yes,  that  must  be  the  Tower  of  Jewels/'  said 
Rob,  "and  I  should  call  it  pretty  well  named  in 
the  bargain.  They've  certainly  chosen  a  splendid 
spot  for  the  Fair,  fronting,  as  it  does,  on  the  bay, 
with  its  wide  sweep  of  water,  and  with  the  city 
rising  up  on  tiers  of  terraces  back  of  it." 

"That  must  be  the  Zone  over  there,"  Andy  con- 
tinued, eagerly;  "because  you  can  see  a  monster 
seesaw,  with  one  arm  away  up  hundreds  of  feet 
in  the  air,  and  what  looks  like  a  car  on  it  full  of 
folks.  Yes,  I  remember  it  now;  it  is  called  the 
Aeroscope." 

"Just  what  it  is,  Andy,"  said  Rob,  "and  when 
we  get  up  there  for  a  look  over  the  harbor,  the 
Exposition  grounds  and  the  city,  we'll  find  our- 
selves just  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
off  the  earth — high  enough  to  make  you  dizzy." 

"Huh !  seems  like  they  do  things  on  a  big  scale 
out  this  way,"  grunted  Hiram. 

"I  reckon  our  Coney  Island  would  hardly  be 
in  the  swim  with  this  show,"  Andy  declared,  as 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  117 

they  paid  their  way  at  the  gate  and  entered  the 
grounds. 

Colossal  buildings  could  be  seen  on  all  sides, 
most  of  them  dazzling  in  the  sunlight.  Rob  had 
studied  the  arrangement  of  these  buildings  so 
well  that  he  appeared  to  recognize  them  now  as 
though  entirely  familiar  with  his  surroundings. 

* 

It  was  evident  that  the  little  party  would  not 
have  much  use  for  a  guide  as  long  as  Rob  was 
along  to  serve  them  in  that  capacity. 

"I  calculate  that  this  is  the  Panama-Pacific 
Court  of  the  Universe/'  he  told  his  chums,  "and 
that  building  over  there  is  the  Palace  of  Agricul- 
ture, while  this  other  must  be  the  Palace  of 
Transportation;  then  there's  the  Palace  of  Hor- 
ticulture where  you  can  see  that  huge  glass  dome. 
Over  there  is  the  Column  of  Progress,  more  than 
a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  overlooking 
the  Marino." 

The  boys  surveyed  these  sights  with  more  or 
less  awe. 

"I  suppose,"  ventured  Hiram,  "after  we've 
nosed  around  here  for  a  week  or  two  we'll  feel 
as  much  to  hum  with  these  big  buildings  as  if 


118  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

we  were  in  Hampton,  and  lookin'  at  our  Odd 
Fellows'  Temple.  But  what  a  heap  of  things 
they  must  all  of  'em  hold.  It'll  keep  us  hustlin' 
to  see  the  hull  lot,  workin'  ten  hours  a  day  for 
weeks/' 

"Oh !  well,  none  of  us  expect  to  see  everything 
that's  on  exhibit  here,"  said  Rob.  "Our  tastes 
are  not  wholly  alike,  either.  I  may  want  to  spend 
most  of  my  time  in  a  certain  quarter  that 
wouldn't  interest  you  other  fellows  to  any  great 
extent;  and  on  your  part  I've  no  doubt  there  are 
certain  things  that  will -hold  you  spellbound,  yet 
which  we  may  only  care  to  take  one  good  look 
at." 

At  that  Andy  started  to  chuckle. 

"I  warrant  you  I  can  guess  where  Hiram  will 
be  found  pretty  much  all  his  time  at  the  show," 
he  remarked,  pointedly;  and  of  course  the  other 
scout  felt  impelled  to  take  him  up  on  that  positive 
assertion. 

"Say  where,  then,  if  you  know  so  much,  Mr. 
Smarty,"  he  asked  Andy. 

"Just  as  soon  as  he  gets  the  locations  down 
pat,"  began  the  other,  "you'll  never  see  him  a 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  119 

great  way  off  from  the  quarter  where  the  inven- 
tions are  being  exhibited.  He's  daffy  on  me- 
chanics and  such  things ;  and  he'll  be  worse  than 
any  sticking  plaster  you  ever  saw,  once  he  gets 
planted  in  front  of  the  booths,  or  finds  out  where 
the  aeroplanes  are  going  up  every  little  while/* 

"Oh!  well,  I  own  up  that's  mostly  what  I 
wanted  to  come  all  the  way  out  here  for/'  said 
Hiram,  frankly.  "But  it's  a  toss-up,  Andy,  that 
once  you  get  in  that  amusement  park  they  call 
the  Zone,  a  place  of  more'n  sixty  acres,  I  read, 
you'll  spend  most  of  your  time  watching  the  Fiji 
Islanders  dance,  or  riding  around  on  that  obser- 
vation car  to  view  the  wonders  of  Yellowstone 
Park,  or  mebbe  the  Great  Colorado  Canyon." 

"I  can't  get  there  any  too  soon,  I'm  telling  you, 
boys,"  Andy  confessed.  "Both  of  you  have  come 
out  here  on  business  as  well  as  sight-seeing;  but 
it's  different  in  my  case.  I'm  carefree,  and  bound 
to  enjoy  myself  to  the  limit.  In  good  time  I'll 
wander  all  over  every  building  in  the  grounds; 
but  first  I  want  to  be  amused  so  as  to  forget  the 
troubles  of  our  long  trip  here." 

"It's  very  evident,"  began  Rob,  "that  we'll  have 


120  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

to  settle  on  some  particular  place  as  a  sort  of 
general  round-up.  If  each  one  is  going  to  start 
off  on  his  own  hook,  now  and  then,  unless  we  fix 
it  that  way,  we  might  wander  all  day  long 
through  the  enormous  buildings,  and  the  grounds 
covered  by  this  Fair,  and  never  meet/' 

"Well  thought  of,  Rob !"  cried  Andy.  "Let  me 
suggest  that  we  take  this  queer-looking  tobac- 
conist shop  as  our  rendezvous.  We  can  make  an 
arrangement  with  the  owner  for  a  couple  of  dol- 
lars or  so,  to  take  messages,  and  hold  the  same 
for  the  rest  of  the  bunch." 

"The  sooner  that's  arranged  the  better  it'll  suit 
me,  I  guess,"  said  Hiram,  who  was  plainly  on 
needles  and  pins  while  being  kept  from  hunting 
up  the  building  in  which  he  would  find  myriads  of 
remarkable  devices  illustrating  the  inventive  gen- 
ius of  the  world,  and  particularly  of  those  from 
the  American  nation. 

"Of  course  I'm  going  at  once  to  the  exhibit  in 
which  Professor  McEwen  is  interested,"  said 
Rob,  after  they  had  arranged  with  the  proprietor 
of  the  Oriental  tobacco  booth,  "because  I'll  not 
feel  easy  until  I've  done  my  part  of  the  contract, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  121 

and  delivered  the  stuff  he  intrusted  to  our 
charge." 

"H'm,  that  means  me  too,  I  suppose,  Rob,"  ob- 
served Andy,  sighing. 

"Oh !  I  could  do  it  alone,"  Rob  started  to  say, 
when  Andy  braced  up,  bit  his  lip,  and  contin- 
ued: 

"That  was  the  old  selfish  streak  in  me  speak- 
ing then,  Rob.  You'll  have  to  overlook  it  once 
more.  Of  course,  I'll  not  let  you  finish  this  busi- 
ness by  yourself.  It  would  be  a  fine  way  of  act- 
ing on  my  part,  now,  wouldn't  it — taking  the 
goods  and  then  refusing  to  pay  for  the  same? 
Here,  let  me  carry  the  bag  a  while.  I'm  going  to 
be  your  shadow  for  this  one  day  anyhow ;  though 
p'raps,  after  all,  we  can  manage  to  drop  in  at 
the  Zone,  and  see  what's  what  in  that  interesting 
district." 

Rob  laughed. 

"I'll  make  a  special  point  of  it  to  oblige  you, 
Andy,"  he  said,  clapping  the  other  on  the  shoul- 
der. "As  for  Hiram,  I  can  understand  why  he's 
so  anxious  to  find  out  where  the  aviation  field 
lies.  We've  got  to  remember  that  his  businesses 


122  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

with  parties  who  are  altogether  interested  in  air- 
ships and  flying." 

"Thanks,  Rob/'  said  Hiram,  nodding  his  head 
in  that  quick  jerky  way  he  had.  "It  stands  to 
reason  that  I  want  to  pick  up  a  few  pointers  on 
the  sly  before  I  show  myself  to  the  Golden  Gate 
people.  By  hanging  around  I'm  apt  to  hear  some 
talk,  and  learn  a  few  facts  that  may  stand  me  in 
good  later  on/' 

"You'd  better  go  some  slow,  Hiram/'  cau- 
tioned Andy.  "Remember  that  we  had  it  ar- 
ranged to  back  you  up  when  the  time  came  to 
interview  your  people.  So  don't  spoil  all  our 
plans  by  being  too  precipitate." 

"Meaning,  I  figure,"  Hiram  answered,  wincing 
under  that  last  word,  "that  I  mustn't  be  rash,  and 
put  my  foot  in  it.  I  promise  you  I'll  fight  shy 
there,  Rob;  and  when  we  meet  here  to  get  a 
bite  of  lunch  together,  p'raps  I'll  have  some  news 
for  you." 

"I  hope  it  will  be  the  right  kind  of  news,  then, 
Hiram,"  Rob  told  him,  seriously;  "though  for 
that  matter  it  seems  to  me  this  company  has 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION 

treated  you  splendidly  already,  and  that  they 
must  be  on  the  square." 

"And  after  that  affair  is  all  settled  up,"  con- 
tinued the  other,  drawing  a  long  breath  of  antici- 
pation, "think  of  the  great  times  I'm  going  to 
have  mousing  around  the  building  that  houses 
the  inventions.  I  tell  you  I'm  the  luckiest  dog 
that  ever  lived  to  get  this  big  chance  thrown  right 
at  me/' 

So  Hiram  hurried  away,  having  already 
marked  out  his  course  from  long  study  of  the 
little  chart  each  one  of  the  scouts  possessed,  and 
which  gave  what  might  be  called  a  "bird's-eye 
view"  of  the  extensive  Exposition  grounds,  where 
the  most  prominent  buildings  were  located,  and 
the  shortest  way  to  get  from  one  point  to  an- 
other. 

Rob  looked  after  him  with  a  smile  on  his  face. 
He  turned  to  Andy  and  laughed. 

"Isn't  he  the  greatest  crank  in  his  line  you 
ever  saw  ?"  asked  Andy. 

"Oh !  it's  hardly  fair  to  call  Hiram  that,"  ex- 
postulated the  scout  leader;  "he's  enthusiastic 
over  inyentions,  but  what  of  that?  Every  fel- 


124  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

low  who's  dead  in  earnest  could  be  spoken  of  as 
a  crank.  And  it's  the  cranks,  as  you  call  them, 
who  make  the  wheels  of  progress  go  around." 

"Yes,"  added  Andy  dryly,  "I've  noticed  that 
some  of  them  even  seem  to  have  wheels  in  their 
heads,  though  they  get  hopping  mad  if  you  men- 
tion it,  or  turn  your  hand  this  way,"  and  he  in- 
dicated a  revolving  motion  with  his  finger  that 
could  hardly  be  mistaken  by  a  sensitive  person. 

"All  I  know  is  that  Hiram  is  due  to  enjoy  the 
greatest  feast  his  soul  ever  could  imagine.  But 
don't  let  us  waste  any  more  time  here,  Andy; 
I've  got  my  bearings  by  now,  and  can  take  you 
straight  to  the  building  where  the  scientists  love 
to  gather  and  gloat  over  the  queer  things  that 
are  so  wonderful  to  them.  Come  along!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  125 

CHAPTER  XL 

ROB   DELIVERS  THE  GOODS. 

"What's  that  splendid  looking  arch  over  there 
meant  to  represent,  Rob?"  asked  Andy,  as  he 
pointed  to  the  right. 

"They  call  it  the  Arch  of  the  Setting  Sun," 
replied  the  scout  leader. 

"A  mighty  good  name,  considering  how  we're 
at  the  jumping-off  place  of  the  United  States. 
Seems  to  me,  Rob,  that  the  Far  West  has  always 
gone  by  the  name  of  the  Land  of  the  Setting 
Sun/' 

"That's  why  the  arch  has  been  built,"  Rob  told 
him.  "You  see,  in  pioneer  days  the  constant  drift 
was  always  this  way.  Men  who  founded  homes 
in  what  was  then  the  wilderness  along  the  Ohio 
kept  hearing  wonderful  stories  about  the  rich- 
ness of  the  soil  farther  west,  and  what  unlimited 
fur-bearing  animals  were  to  be  captured  by  those 
daring  enough  to  take  the  risk." 

"And  so  they  kept  pushing  farther  and  far- 


126  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ther,  year  in  and  year  out.  In  this  way  settlers 
finally  overran  the  prairies,  and  crossed  the 
Rockies  ?"  asked  Andy,  as  he  surveyed  the  beau- 
tiful arch  that  had  been  raised  to  commemorate 
the  dreams  of  the  men  who  blazed  the  way  of 
civilization  through  the  wilderness. 

"Yes,  and  here  along  the  shore  of  the  Pacific 
lay  the  end  of  the  dream,"  explained  the  scout 
leader.  "California  represented  the  foot  of  the 
rainbow  of  promise  those  hardy  men  had  seen 
painted  in  the  sky.  The  western  sun  meant  a 
whole  lot  in  those  days;  it  shone  over  the  Land 
of  Promise;  it  was  the  hope  and  ambition  of 
almost  every  settler.  No, one  drifted  East ;  it  was 
always  into  the  mysterious  and  beckoning  West 
that  families  emigrated." 

Around  them  were  crowds  of  eager  sight- 
seers. At  times  they  jostled  elbows  with  repre- 
sentatives of  numerous  foreign  nations. 

"But  there  are  not  near  so  many  foreigners 
visiting  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition  as  there 
would  have  been  only  for  the  terrible  European 
war  that's  raging  across  the  ocean,"  Rob  hap- 
pened to  remark  a  little  later  when  the  other  scout 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  127 

called  his  attention  to  a  group  of  dark- featured 
men  wearing  the  red  fezzes  of  Orientals,  and 
passing  along  as  though  viewing  the  wonders  of 
the  exhibition  with  a  lively  interest. 

"I  suppose  the  building  erected  by  California 
is  reckoned  the  largest  one  of  all  on  the  grounds, 
isn't  it,  Rob?  How  much  space  does  it  cover,  do 
you  know?" 

"They  say  five  acres,  Andy,  which  you  must 
own  is  a  shack  of  some  size." 

"We  haven't  been  in  it  yet,"  said  Andy,  "but 
I  should  imagine  it  must  hold  about  everything 
connected  with  the  life  of  the  big  State.  Why,  it 
would  take  a  whole  day  to  get  around  there,  and 
see  half  of  the  things  on  exhibition." 

"Plenty  of  time  for  all  that  when  we  settle 
down  to  the  business  of  sight-seeing,"  Rob  told 
him.  "First  of  all  I  want  to  get  this  load  off 
my  hands,"  and  he  moved  the  suitcase  as  he 
spoke ;  "not  that  it's  very  heavy,  you  understand,, 
only  it  weighs  on  my  mind;  but  what  it  holds 
means  sleepless  nights  for  our  good  friend,  Pro- 
fessor McEwen,  until  he  gets  my  wire  that  it 
has  been  safely  delivered." 


128  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"I  deciare  if  those  two  girls  over  there  don't 
make  me  think  of  Lucy  Mainwaring  and  Sue 
Clifford  away  back  in  Hampton!"  exclaimed 
Andy  suddenly.  "Oh !  excuse  me,  Rob,  I  didn't 
mean  to  give  you  a  start  by  mentioning  Lucy's 
name.  Of  course  it's  only  a  chance  resemblance, 
for  neither  of  the  girls  we've  left  behind  us  could 
be  here  at  the  Exposition.  But  I'm  a  great  fel- 
low, you  remember,  to  imagine  people  look  like 
some  I've  known." 

"Yes,  and  lots  of  times  that  failing  has  gotten 
you  into  a  peck  of  trouble,  too,  Andy,"  Rob  re- 
marked, laughingly ;  "there  was  that  boy  in  scout 
uniform  this  very  morning  that  you  rushed  up 
to  with  outstretched  hand,  and  calling  him  Sim 
Jeffords.  I  nearly  took  a  fit  to  see  the  blank  look 
on  your  face  when  he  drew  himself  up  and  gave 
you  the  cold  stare." 

"Yes,  that's  a  fact,  Rob,  he  did  freeze  me. 
Chances  are  to  this  minute  that  boy  thinks  I  was 
a  fraud,  perhaps  some  new  sort  of  confidence 
operator.  I  saw  him  grab  at  his  watch-chain  in 
a  hurry.  He  backed  away,  too,  and  never  gave 
me  half  a  chance  to  explain." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  129 

"I'm  expecting  right  along,"  Rob  told  him,  "to 
have  you  discover  some  of  our  old  enemies  hov- 
ering around,  and  waiting  for  a  chance  to  give 
us  a  jolt  on  account  of  the  grudge  they  bear  us. 
There's  Jared  Applegate,  for  instance,  the  last 
we  ever  saw  of  him  was  at  the  time  he  was  down 
in  Mexico,  having  been  compelled  to  run  away 
from  home  after  getting  himself  into  a  scrape  by 
using  some  money  that  didn't  belong  to  him." 

Andy,  instead  of  appearing  dejected  while  Rob 
was  "rubbing  it  into  him"  after  this  fashion, 
really  seemed  to  enter  into  the  joke  himself. 

"Well,"  he  went  on  to  say  with  a  snicker,  "hon- 
est to  goodness  a  little  while  ago  I  did  see  two 
fellows  walking  along  who  made  me  think  of 
Max  Ramsay  and  his  pal,  Hodge  Berry,  the  two 
meanest  boys  of  our  home  town.  Gave  me  some- 
thing of  a  thrill,  too,  and  I  even  had  a  sneaking 
notion  to  run  over  and  shake  hands  with  them; 
though  back  home  I  would  cross  the  street  rather 
than  meet  them  face  to  face." 

"Yes,"  said  Rob,  "that's  always  the  case  witH 
people  who're  away  from  home.  They  get  so 
tired  of  seeing  strange  faces  that  the  sight  of 


130  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

one  they  know  makes  them  friendly.  But  I  sup- 
pose you've  noticed  that  the  scouts  seem  to  have 
quite  a  share  in  the  running  of  things  at  this 
Big  Show?" 

"For  a  fact  I've  seen  quite  a  number  of  them 
about,  and  it  strikes  me  they  are  a  busy  lot  in 
the  bargain,"  Andy  admitted. 

"I  understand  they  have  a  permanent  camp 
on  the  grounds,"  Rob  explained,  "which  later  on 
we  must  visit,  and  make  acquaintances.  They 
seem  to  be  a  hustling  lot,  and  a  credit  to  the  khaki 
they  wear." 

"But  what  d'ye  suppose  they're  doing  here?" 
asked  the  other. 

"Oh!  there  are  dozens  of  things  Boy  Scouts 
can  find  to  do  at  a  monster  Fair  like  this,"  said 
the  patrol  leader.  "I  think  some  of  them  are  act- 
ing as  guides  to  parties  of  women  and  children. 
Others  run  messages  for  the  department  heads, 
because  there  must  be  a  tremendous  lot  of  that 
sort  of  thing  that  has  to  be  done  here.  I  saw 
one  batch  of  scouts  carrying  a  man  on  a  litter, 
and  from  that  I  concluded  they  must  have  a 
scout  emergency  hospital  somewhere  on  the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  131 

grounds,  where  those  who  have  been  taken  sud- 
denly sick  or  become  exhausted  from  the  heat 
in  the  machinery  buildings  could  receive  first  aid 
to  the  injured." 

Andy's  face  took  on  a  look  of  pride.  He  even 
tenderly  stroked  the  sleeve  of  his  khaki  coat  and 
touched  the  badge  on  his  lapel  as  though  he  con- 
sidered it  a  great  honor  to  be  wearing  that  in- 
signia of  his  rank  in  the  troop  to  which  he  be- 
longed. 

That  is  one  of  the  finest  things  about  scout 
membership;  it  stimulates  boys  to  aspire  to  emu- 
late those  who  are  striving  to  help  others,  or 
alleviate  suffering  in  some  way. 

"We  ought  to  be  nearing  that  building  you 
spoke  about,  Rob,"  Andy  remarked,  after  more 
time  had  elapsed.  "Seems  to  me  we've  covered 
miles  since  we  saw  Hiram  streaking  off  for  the 
aviation  field  and  the  Hall  of  Inventions." 

"I  think  that  is  it  on  our  left ;  but  to  make  sure 
Til  ask  this  scout  hurrying  along  as  though  the 
whole  show  would  have  to  close  its  doors  unless 
he  managed  to  do  the  important  errand  he's  sent 


on." 


132  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"I'll  hang  back  while  you  do,"  suggested  Andy 
jokingly.  "Seems  like  they  think  I'm  a  sort  of 
suspicious  looking  person,  though  nobody  ever 
told  me  so  in  Hampton." 

The  messenger  condescended  to  slacken  his 
speed  sufficiently  to  catch  the  question  which  Rob 
asked.  After  saluting,  as  became  a  fellow  scout, 
he  nodded  his  head  in  the  affirmative,  being  ap- 
parently too  winded  to  say  even  a  single  word. 

Accordingly  the  two  boys  entered  the  building 
and  threading  their  way  among  a  multitude  of 
exhibits,  with  a  sprinkling  of  people  examining 
the  same,  most  of  them  rather  sober-looking  in 
appearance,  they  managed  to  find  where  the  of- 
fices of  the  director  were  located. 

"We  wish  to  see  Professor  Marsh,  who  is  in 
charge  of  this  building,"  was  what  Rob  said  to 
an  active  little  man  wearing  large  glasses,  and 
with  all  the  earmarks  of  a  scientist. 

"That  happens  to  be  my  name,  son;  what  can 
I  do  for  you?"  replied  the  other,  as  he  bent  a 
pair  of  exceedingly  penetrating  eyes  upon  the 
scouts. 

"We  have  come  to  you,"  Rob  explained,  "from 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  133 

Professor  Andrew  McEwen,  of  Edinburgh  Uni- 
versity, who  met  with  an  accident  while  visiting 
an  old  friend  near  our  home,  on  Long  Island, 
New  York  State,  and  while  not  seriously  injured 
could  not  finish  his  journey  across  the  conti- 
nent." 

The  little  man  immediately  showed  signs  of 
tremendous  excitement.  He  glued  his  eyes  on 
the  suitcase  Rob  was  carrying. 

"Yes,  yes,  glad  to  hear  that  he  is  not  seriously 
injured.  Professor  McEwen  is  one  of  the  most 
famous  of  his  class,  and  the  world  could  ill  afford 
to  lose  him  at  this  interesting  stage  of  events. 
But  he  was  to  bring  with  him  a  collection  too 
precious  to  trust  to  ordinary  channels.  I  sin- 
cerely trust  that  it  was  not  harmed  when  he  met 
with  his  accident  ?" 

"Oh!  no,  sir,"  exclaimed  Rob,  hastily,  "not  in 
the  least,  since  he  did  not  have  it  with  him  at 
the  time.  But  he  grieved  to  think  it  might  be 
delayed  in  reaching  you,  and  so  he  intrusted  it 
to  the  keeping  of  myself  and  my  comrade  here, 
as  we  happened  to  be  of  some  assistance  to  him  at 
the  time." 


134  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

The  scientist  seemed  to  be  actually  dum- 
founded.  He  stared  from  Rob  to  Andy,  and  then 
looked  hard  at  the  suitcase. 

"Can  it  be  possible  that  Professor  McEwen 
intrusted  those  priceless  papyrus  relics  to  the 
care  of  two  mere  boys?  I  am  astounded,  and 
likewise  worried.  Oh!  I  hope  you  have  taken 
great  car$  with  them.  Give  me  the  bag,  and  let 
me  see  for  myself.  It  would  be  a  shock  indeed  if 
anything  had  happened  to  destroy  the  labor  of 
years,  and  caused  such  a  dreadful  loss  to  science." 

He  almost  snatched  the  suitcase  from  Rob's 
hand  and  vanished  like  a  streak  through  a  door 
that  led  to  another  room,  leaving  the  two  boys 
exchanging  amused  glances. 

"Whew!  I'm  sorry  for  you  if  anything  Jias 
gone  wrong  with  those  rolls,  Rob/'  said  Andy, 
making  a  wry  face.  "We're  apt  to  go  out  of 
this  building  faster  than  \ve  came  in,  I'm  afraid." 

"No  danger/'  Rob  told  him;  "they  were  pre- 
pared to  resist  ordinary  shocks  in  transit,  and 
we've  handled  them  as  carefully  as  Professor 
McEwen  himself  could  have  done.  But  he  did 
look  actually  frightened,  for  a  fact." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  135 

"Isn't  it  queer  what  a  pile  these  learned  scien- 
tists think  of  things  that  other  people  wouldn't 
give  five  cents  for?"  remarked  Andy. 

"Oh !  well,"  said  Rob,  "that's  because  we're  in 
the  dark  concerning  their  real  value.  Look  in 
through  the  half -open  door  and  you  can  see  sev- 
eral men  like  Professor  Marsh  undoing  those 
same  rolls  with  trembling  hands." 

"Yes,  and  notice  the  awed  look  on  their  faces, 
will  you,  Rob?  The  director  is  shaking  hands 
all  around  now,  and  beaming  on  his  colleagues, 
so  I  guess  he's  found  things  O.  K.  and  hunky 
dory.  Here  he  comes  out  to  tell  us  so." 

The  look  of  deep  anxiety  on  Professor  Marsh's 
face  had  vanished,  and  there  was  a  trace  of  a 
pleased  smile  there  when  he  again  confronted  the 
two  scouts. 

"The  letter  inclosed  from  Professor  McEwen 
speaks  in  the  highest  terms  of  you  young  gen- 
tlemen," he  said,  effusively,  as  he  stretched  out 
both  hands.  "He  writes  that  you  were  instru- 
ments in  the  hands  of  Providence  of  saving  his 
life;  and  for  that  let  me  remark  that  you  deserve 
the  heartfelt  thanks  of  all  who  are  interested  in 


136  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

the  work  that  distinguished  gentleman  is  doing 
for  science.  I  am  proud  to  shake  you  by  the 
hand.  To  think  that  you  have  come  three  thou- 
sand miles  bearing  those  priceless  rolls,  and 
delivered  them  to  us  here  without  the  slightest 

damage.     And  this  very  night  I  shall  write  to 

t 

Professor  McEwen  to  that  effect." 

"We  are  instructed  to  wire  him  in  your  name 
with  your  permission,  professor,  that  you  have 
received  them  intact,"  ventured  Rob. 

"I  will  sign  any  message  you  choose  to  send 
him,  son,"  declared  the  happy  director  of  the 
building  devoted  to  the  interests  of  science. 

"And  now,  sir,"  said  Rob,  "would  you  mind 
returning  my  suitcase  ?" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  137 


CHAPTER    XII. 
THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  "ZONE." 

When  Rob  and  his  chum  left  the  building  they 
carried  the  empty  suitcase;  and  besides,  Profes- 
sor Marsh  had  written  and  signed  a  long  and 
effusive  message  to  his  learned  colleague  in  care 
of  Judge  Collins,  at  Hampton,  Long  Island,  which 
Rob  was  empowered  to  send,  at  his  own  expense, 
by  wire  as  a  night  letter. 

"That  job  is  done,"  said  Rob,  with  the  air  of 
one  who  has  gotten  rid  of  a  load  that  had  been 
on  his  mind. 

"And  just  to  think  how  we  can  enjoy  ourselves 
for  weeks  if  we  feel  like  staying  that  long,"  pur- 
sued the  happy  Andy,  fairly  bubbling  over  with 
enthusiasm  and  joy. 

"Even  when  we  decide  to  start  back  home," 
laughed  Rob,  "the  fun  isn't  over  by  a  huge 
sight." 

"You  mean,  Rob,  we'll  have  the  time  of  our 
lives  traveling  across  the  Canadian  Rockies,  tak- 


138  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ing  in  wonderful  scenery  that  is  better,  lots  of 
people  say,  than  anything  across  in  Switzer- 
land?" 

"Yes/'  said  the  scout  leader,  "and  if  we 
choose  to  stop  over  for  a  day  or  two  to  try  the 
trout  fishing  at  a  lake  we  were  told  about, 
haven't  we  got  our  rods  and  other  material  along 
in  our  trunk?" 

"It  takes  a  wideawake  fellow  like  you  to  think 
of  every  little  detail,  for  a  fact !"  declared  Andy, 
with  genuine  admiration. 

"Oh!  I'm  far  from  perfect,  I  want  you  to 
know,"  the  other  told  him.  "I  can  remember 
plenty  of  times  when  I've  found  that,  after  all,  the 
very  thing  of  most  importance  was  forgotten  or 
neglected.  But  it  pays  to  try  and  cover  the 
ground.  It  saves  lots  of  trouble  and  disappoint- 
ment in  the  long  run." 

"I  believe  you,  Rob ;  with  me  it  seems  as  though 
I  fall  into  the  way  of  letting  some  other  fellow 
do  my  thinking  for  me.  I  know  it's  wrong,  but 
anyhow  it's  satisfying  to  have  that  confidence  in 
your  chum." 

"You  didn't  think  of  letting  some  other  scout 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  139 

do  your  work  for  you  at  the  time  you  were  learn- 
ing the  various  bugle  calls,  I  noticed,  Andy/1 

"Shucks !  that's  different/'  returned  the  other, 
hastily.  "Now  that  you  mention  it,  I  can't  re- 
member ever  asking  a  substitute  to  do  my  eating 
for  me  when  meal  time  rolled  around.  Guess  you 
must  be  right,  though,  Rob;  some  of  these  days  I 
intend  to  wake  up  and  even  think  for  myself/' 

"Believe  me  you  can't  make  that  day  any  too 
soon,  Andy.  If  you  happened  to  find  yourself 
cast  adrift  on  a  big  desert  you  would  be  sorry 
you  delayed  so  long,  though,  if  you  pulled 
through  alive,  it  might  be  the  making  of  you." 

"Oh !  I'll  buckle  down  to  the  job  without  being 
forced  that  way/'  Andy  hurriedly  assured  the 
scout  leader.  "What's  the  next  thing  on  the 
program?" 

"I  know  you're  just  dying  to  get  into  the 
amusement  section  of  the  Exposition  called  the 
Zone,  and  which  is  a  good  deal  like  the  Streets 
of  Cairo  and  the  Midway  of  the  Chicago  Fair. 
I'll  make  a  bargain  with  you,  Andy." 

"All  right;  let's  hear  the  particulars/*  ex- 
claimed the  other  eagerly. 


140  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"First  of  all,"  began  Rob,  "I  want  to  get  rid 
of  this  suitcase,  and  we'll  make  for  that  tobac- 
conist's odd  booth,  to  leave  it  with  him  until 
we're  going  back  to  the  hotel." 

"That's  over  this  way,  past  the  big  California 
building,  with  the  Oregon  one  that  has  a  colon- 
nade of  logs  alongside.  Well,  after  we've 
shunted  the  bag  on  the  man  who  runs  the  to- 
bacco shop,  what  next?" 

"We'll  put,  in  the  rest  of  the  morning,"  Rob 
explained,  "in  rummaging  through  some  of  these 
places  clustering  around  the  Tower  of  Jewels. 
I've  got  a  string  of  things  I'm  wild  to  see,  and 
that's  as  good  a  place  to  make  a  start  as  any- 
where." 

"That  brings  us  to  noon,  when  we  agreed  to 
meet  Hiram,  you  remember,  for  lunch?"  Andy 
reminded  his  chum. 

"Yes,  and  I  understand  there  are  dozens  and 
dozens  of  eating  places  to  be  found  in  the  Zone. 
If  you  want  you  can  have  an  Arab  dinner,  a 
Chinese  chop  suey,  a  French  meal  a  la  carte,  a 
German  one,  or  anything  your  taste  calls  for. 
So  we  might  as  well  head  that  way  for  our  lunch, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  141 

and  pick  out  a  place  that  seems  to  promise  good 
things  for  hungry  fellows." 

"Huh!  after  I  once  get  inside  the  Zone,  Rob, 
nothing  can  drag  me  out  again  for  the  whole  af- 
ternoon. So,  I  hope  you've  concluded  to  make  a 
sacrifice,  and  devote  the  rest  of  the  day  to  keep- 
ing me  company  in  roaming  around  among  all 
the  queer  sights  they  tell  me  you  can  run  up 
against  there/' 

Rob  nodded  his  head  and  smiled. 

"I  promise  you  that,  Andy,  because  I  know 
you  too  well  to  believe  there  could  be  any  peace 
until  you  have  had  your  way.  Yes,  and  I  admit 
that  I  can  get  a  lot  of  enjoyment  out  of  seeing 
all  those  foreign  things,  as  well  as  the  more  im- 
portant exhibits  in  Machinery  Hall  and  such 
places." 

"Sure  thing,"  said  Andy,  with  an  assumption 
of  great  sagacity.  "In  one  case  we  are  shown 
wonderful  development  in  the  world's  progress 
along  the  lines  of  science  and  commerce;  while 
in  the  Zone  you  can  see  man  himself  as  he  ap- 
pears all  over  this  ball,  how  he  lives,  what  his 
forefathers  have  done  for  ages  and  ages  in  the 


THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

past,  and  in  fact  study  human  nature.  To  me 
that  is  better  than  gaping  at  some  machine  I 
never  could  understand  in  a  lifetime." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  shop  where 
arrangements  had  been  made  with  the  obliging 
proprietor  to  act  as  a  medium  of  exchange  be- 
tween the  three  scouts  during  their  stay.  The 
empty  suitcase  was  disposed  of  and  once  more 
the  boys  started  out  to  gaze  upon  some  of  the 
myriad  strange  sights  that  were  to  be  met  with 
on  every  hand. 

Doubtless  Rob  took  a  considerably  greater 
amount  of  interest  in  what  they  viewed  during 
those  several  hours  than  did  his  companion, 
though  now  and  then  Andy  managed  to  display 
more  or  less  enthusiasm. 

It  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  mention  the 
things  they  saw  as  they  wandered  hither  and 
thither  about  tfiat  section  of  the  grounds.  Even 
a  guide-book  of  the  Exposition  would  have  to 
skim  over  the  details,  such  were  the  numberless 
attractions  on  every  hand. 

"Getting  on  toward  noon,  Rob!"  suggested 
Andy,  finally,  as  he  laid  a  hand  on  his  stomach, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  143 

as  if  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  was  un- 
usually flat. 

"And  there's  Hiram  coming  this  way,  too,  as 
if  he  was  beginning  to  remember  his  promise  to 
meet  us  for  lunch.  I  wonder  if  we  can  keep  him 
with  us  the  rest  of  the  day?" 

"Not  unless  you  get  a  rope  and  tie  him," 
chuckled  Andy,  "for  he's  clean  gone  daffy  over 
the  line  of  exhibits  he  fancies  most,  and  will 
haunt  that  part  of  the  Exposition  nearly  all  the 
time  we're  here." 

Hiram  caught  sight  of  them  about  that  mo- 
ment, and  hurried  over. 

"Just  on  the  way  to  the  meeting-place,"  he  an- 
nounced. "Knew  it  was  near  grub  time  and 
wanted  to  get  it  over  with.  Say,  they've  got  the 
greatest  lot  of  things  worth  while  on  exhibition 
over  there  in  the  building  devoted  to  inventions 
you  ever  saw.  And  the  aviation  field  is  a  peach. 
My  stars!  but  they're  a  busy  bunch  of  willing, 
hustling  workers  there." 

Rob  had  been  studying  the  other's  face,  and  it 
told  him  something. 


144  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"You  found  your  firm  represented  there,  of 
course,  Hiram?"  he  remarked. 

"  'Course  they  are,  and  cutting  some  high 
jinks,  too,"  came  the  reply.  "They've  got  some 
of  their  finished  products  working  in  the  field, 
with  air  pilots  of  national  renown  in  charge  of 
the  flights.  You  must  get  over  that  way  some 
time  and  see." 

"We  will,  perhaps  before  the  day  is  done,"  Rob 
assured  him;  "but  I  suppose  now,  Hiram,  you 
didn't  introduce  yourself  to  the  Golden  Gate  peo- 
ple?" 

"Naw.  I  just  took  it  all  in,  and  browsed 
around  everywhere,  laughing  to  myself  to  think 
how  surprised  they  were  going  to  be  when  they 
found  out  that  the  Hiram  Nelson,  inventor  of 
the  wonderful  stabilizer  for  aeroplanes,  was  only 
a  Boy  Scout.  But  what  are  we  going  into  the 
Zone  for,  tell  me?" 

"Why,  to  get  something  to  eat,  to  be  sure," 
remarked  Andy. 

"But  I'm  no  cannibal,"  expostulated  Hiram, 
holding  back  in  pretended  alarm;  "even  if  they 
do  have  that  stripe  of  people  here  on  exhibition. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  145 

I  don't  hanker  after  trying  a  roast  Fiji  Islander, 
or  a  fricasseed  Igorrote  from  the  Philippine 
Islands — I'm  not  that  hungry/' 

"Oh!"  Andy  told  him,  tugging  at  his  sleeve, 
"we'll  find  a  thousand  places  here  where  they 
cook  meals  after  the  fashion  of  every  nation  un- 
der the  sun.  I  hope  we  pick  out  one  that  is  close 
to  that  giant  seesaw ;  because  I'm  wild  to  go  up 
in  it  so  as  to  get  a  magnificent  view  of  the  har- 
bor, the  Exposition  grounds  and  the  City  of 
San  Francisco." 

It  was  found  to  be  an  easy  matter  to  accom- 
plish this,  and  they  were  soon  being  served  at  a 
table  that  stood  out-of-doors,  so  that  as  they  en- 
joyed their  lunch  they  could  watch  the  endless 
procession  of  people  passing  and  repassing. 

As  so  many  attractions  in  the  amusement  con- 
cession were  connected  with  foreign  countries, 
it  was  really  almost  as  good  as  being  abroad  to 
see  the  various  representative  types  that  saun- 
tered or  hurried  by. 

"I  wonder  how  many  of  those  Arabs,  Turks, 
Algerians,  Persians,  Hindoos,  Hottentots  and 


146  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

others  are  the  real  thing,  and  how  many  rank 
fakes/7  suggested  Hiram. 

"That's  more  than  anybody  can  tell,"  laughed 
Rob.  "It's  the  easiest  thing  to  put  stain  on  the 
skin  of  an  Irishman,  dress  him  in  the  Oriental 
style,  clap  a  red  fez  on  his  head,  and  then  call  him 
a  Turk.  Only  he  has  to  keep  his  tongue  tight- 
locked  ;  because  his  brogue  would  give  him  away. 
If  you  listen  to  them  chattering  in  their  own 
tongue  you  can  tell  which  are  the  real  thing." 

"As  for  me,"  spoke  up  Andy,  frankly,  "I  just 
don't  question  any  of  them,  but  take  it  for  grant- 
ed they're  what  they  make  out  to  be.  And  I 
want  to  say,  fellows,  it's  the  biggest  treat  to  me 
to  be  here,  watching  the  congress  of  all  the  na- 
tions and  people  on  the  globe." 

Hiram's  lip  curled  and  he  snickered,  but  Andy 
pretended  not  to  hear.  To  Hiram's  mind  any 
one  who  could  confess  to  caring  for  such  frivo- 
lous things  wrhen  there  was  a  building  not  far 
away  just  jammed  with  the  most  marvelous  in- 
ventions known  to  modern  science  and  ingenuity 
—well,  it  bordered  on  silliness.  But  then  "many 
men,  many  minds,"  and  perhaps  it  is  just  as 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  147 

well  that  people  do  not  all  think  alike.  There  is 
a  deal  of  truth  in  that  old  proverb  to  the  effect 
that  what  is  "one  man's  food  may  be  another's 
poison." 

So  they  sat  there  for  a  long  time  while  the  pro- 
cession of  Head  Hunters  from  Borneo,  natives 
of  the  island  of  Ceylon,  South  American  vaque- 
ros  in  their  picturesque  attire,  pigmies  from  the 
heart  of  Africa,  Mexican  bull-fighters,  Moros 
from  our  island  possessions  in  the  Orient,  Chi- 
nese, Japanese,  Servians,  Tyrolese  mountain 
climbers  and  yodlers,  and  a  multitude  of  others 
continued  to  pass,  many  of  them  coming  from  the 
villages  and  side  shows  of  the  great  amusement 
park. 

From  time  to  time  the  amazing  arm  of  the 
giant  Aeroscope  would  project  up  against  the 
heavens,  the  car  filled  with  those  visitors  who 
wished  to  obtain  a  view  of  their  surroundings. 

Every  time  it  arose,  slowly  but  majestically, 
Andy  would  stop  talking  to  gape  and  watch,  as 
though  just  then  the  one  longing  in  his  heart  was 
to  take  that  skyward  trip. 

Rob  knew  it  would  be  the  very  first  thing  Andy 


148  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

would  want  to  do  after  they  left  the  table;  and 
indeed,  he  was  not  feeling  at  all  averse  to  com- 
plying with  such  a  request,  for  it  seemed  as  if 
the  extensive  view  to  be  obtained  must  be  well 
worth  the  price  charged  for  the  trip  aloft. 

"Three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  they  say  in 
the  guide  book/'  Andy  gushed;  "and  all  for  a 
small  sum  in  the  bargain.  I  wouldn't  miss  that 
sight  for  ten  times  fifty  cents.  Why,  only  for  the 
Rockies  being  in  the  way,  with  a  real  good  glass 
you  might  get  even  a  peep  in  at  Hampton  town, 
unless  one  of  those  nasty  sea  fogs  blocked  you 
off,"  and  then,  of  course,  he  had  to  laugh  himself 
at  the  idea  of  any  glass  being  able  to  cover  a  dis- 
tance of  something  like  three  thousand  miles. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  149 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

A  STRANGE  MEETING  IN  TH£  AIR. 

"Hiram,  it's  only  fair  that  you  stay  with  us 
for  a  while  this  afternoon,"  Rob  mentioned  as 
they  were  leaving  the  table. 

"Oh!  I  expected  to  put  in  say  an  hour  or  so 
with  you,  Rob;  and  then  later  on  I  hope  you'll 
make  your  way  over  to  the  aviation  field,  where 
you'll  just  as  like  as  not  find  me  hanging  around, 
still  picking  up  points." 

"That's  a  bargain,  then,  is  it?"  demanded  Rob. 

"Just  as  you  say,"  Hiram  declared.  "I  guess 
now  I  c'n  hit  on  the  fust  thing  our  chum  Andy 
here'll  be  wantin'  to  do.  I've  been  watchin'  him 
stare  at  that  old  arm  every  time  she  rose  up  with 
the  car;  and  I  see  we're  headin'  that  way  right 
fast  now." 

"Yes,  it's  a  good  idea  to  take  that  trip  the  first 
thing,"  said  Rob,  "because  you  get  a  comprehen- 
sive idea  of  the  lay  of  the  land  that  serves  you 
better  than  any  map  you  can  buy.  They  don't 


150  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

stay  up  very  long,  though,  because  there  are  more 
dollars  waiting  to  be  picked  up  from  the  crowd 
that's  always  in  line  to  occupy  the  car." 

"Three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  up  is  going 
some/'  muttered  Hiram.  "I  hope  now  they  don't 
have  any  accident  to  the  machinery  while  we're 
taking  our  look.  I  must  see  how  they  work  this 
trick;  it  ought  to  be  interesting." 

He  would  have  started  to  carry  out  this  inten- 
tion then  and  there  only  that  Andy  held  on  to 
his  coat  and  would  not  let  go. 

"The  machinery  part  can  keep,  Hiram/'  the 
impatient  one  declared.  "Some  time  when  you're 
alone  poke  around  all  you  like ;  but  my  tastes  run 
in  another  channel.  You're  like  the  geologists, 
with  your  nose  pointed  toward  the  ground  all  the 
while;  I'm  built  more  after  the  style  of  the  as- 
tronomers who  keep  looking  up  and  see  the  glories 
of  the  firmament  that  beat  the  fossils  all  hollow." 

"H'm!  you  don't  say!"  was  all  the  remark  Hi- 
ram made,  but  it  contained  considerable  skepti- 
cism concerning  Andy's  sweeping  assertion. 

They  fell  in  line,  and  were  fortunate  enough 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  151 

to  be  able  to  get  aboard  without  having  to  wait, 
as  they  might  have  done  later  in  the  afternoon. 

"This  thing  must  have  cost  a  raft  of  money 
to  build;  it  beats  the  old  Ferris  Wheel  to  pieces, 
I  should  think;  and  that  was  a  wonder  in  its  day." 

"Yes,"  said  Andy,  "but  think  of  the  money 
they  must  take  in,  running  it  all  the  time  from 
February  up  to  December.  Why,  I  should  think 
they'd  have  millions  of  passengers  in  that  time, 
and  at  so  much  a  head  it  would  be  like  a  regular 
gold  mine." 

About  that  time  the  car  was  closed  and  locked, 
so  that  by  no  mischance  could  any  reckless  pas- 
senger be  tempted  to  jump  when  it  was  high  in 
the  air,  so  as  to  accomplish  a  spectacular  suicide. 

"And  they've  got  the  windows  screened  in, 
too,"  remarked  Andy. 

"They  knew  you  were  coming,  I  kinder  guess, 
and  wanted  to  make  sure  you  wouldn't  lose  your 
head  up  there  so  as  to  fall  overboard,"  Hiram 
told  him. 

The  car  was  crowded,  so  that  they  could  not 
see  who  all  of  their  fellow  passengers  were. 
There  was  also  considerable  shouting  going  on, 


152  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

some  of  those  aboard  bidding  farewell  to  friends 
who  had  been  unable  to  make  that  trip,  as  though 
they  full)'-  expected  to  keep  right  on  going  up, 
once  they  got  started  toward  the  blue  heavens 
overhead,  until  they  landed  in  Glory. 

"Here  she  goes!"  announced  Andy,  eagerly,  as 
the  car  was  felt  to  vibrate. 

With  that  they  left  the  ground  and  commenced 
to  ascend.  The  motion  was  fairly  steady,  as  the 
weights  on  the  other  end  of  the  great  seesaw 
had  been  adjusted  to  correspond  to  the  number 
of  those  in  the  car,  so  that  after  all  the  engine  did 
not  have  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  to  do  in  lift- 
ing that  load. 

"Wheel  I  only  hope  none  of  the  balancing 
weight  slips  off!"  said  Hiram,  who  appeared  to 
be  rather  nervous. 

"I'm  surprised  at  you,  Hiram,"  remarked  Rob; 
"it  seems  queer  for  a  fellow  who  aspires  to  be  a 
bold  air  pilot  some  of  these  fine  days,  and  who 
has  even  been  up  several  times  as  high  as  three 
thousand  feet,  to  be  shivering  with  fear  now, 
when  at  the  most  we're  only  going  to  get  three 
hundred  odd  feet  from  the  ground." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  153 

"Oh,  well,  that's  a  horse  of  a  different  color/' 
Hiram  explained;  "when  you're  up  in  an  aero- 
plane it  depends  on  your  own  self  whether  you 
come  down  safe,  or  have  an  accident.  In  this 
case  you  haven't  got  a  single  thing  to  do  with  it, 
but  just  trust  to  a  mechanic,  who  may  be  as  re- 
liable as  they  make  'em,  but  could  make  a  mis- 
take just  once.  That's  what  gets  my  goat;  my 
efficiency  don't  count  for  a  cent  in  this  game." 

"Well,  there  is  something  in  that,"  Rob  admit- 
ted ;  "but  let's  try  to  find  a  place  and  look  out  as 
we  keep  on  rising.  Already  the  view  seems  to 
be  getting  pretty  fine." 

There  was  more  or  less  talking  and  laughing 
and  all  that  in  the  car,  for  when  there  happens 
to  be  a  spice  of  danger  connected  with  any  of 
these  amusements  many  people  become  half  hys- 
terical. 

The  view  was,  indeed,  becoming  grand,  as  Rob 
had  said,  and  both  boys  were  soon  copying  Andy, 
who  was  staring  first  one  way  and  then  another, 
as  sea  and  shore  began  to  be  spread  out  before 
him  like  a  Mercator's  chart. 

Although  the  huge  arm  of  the  giant  Aeroscope 


154  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

had  by  no  means  reached  the  upper  limit  of  its 
sweep,  the  great  buildings  lying  below  had  the 
appearance  of  squatty  "ant-heaps,"  as  Andy 
termed  them ;  and  the  crowds  that  swarmed  many 
of  the  walks  of  the  Exposition  looked  so  minute 
that  it  was  hard  to  believe  they  were  human  be- 
ings. 

All  at  once,  the  working  arm  of  the  big  seesaw 
stopped  with  a  rude  jerk  that  caused  a  number 
of  girls  aboard  to  give  vent  to  cries  of  alarm. 
Even  strong  men  had  a  nervous  look  on  their 
faces,  Rob  immediately  noticed. 

"What's  this  mean?"  demanded  Hiram,  lay- 
ing a  hand  on  Rob's  arm. 

"We  haven't  reached  the  highest  sweep  yet, 
I'm  dead  sure,"  complained  Andy,  in  a  petulant 
tone,  just  as  though  he  believed  the  management 
meant  to  cheat  those  aboard  out  of  the  full  bene- 
fit of  their  money.  "We  want  a  better  view  than 
this.  All  the  others  went  to  the  top,  and  I  don't 
see  why  we  shouldn't,  too." 

"Rob,  this  stop  wasn't  meant,  was  it?"  de- 
manded Hiram,  insistent  as  usual. 

"Don't  talk  so  loud,  Hiram,"  he  was  advised. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  155 

"You'll  only  frighten  those  girls  all  the  more  if 
they  happen  to  hear  you.  No,  I  don't  believe  it 
was  intended  that  we  stop  this  far  up,  and  with 
such  a  bump,  too/' 

"But  is  there  any  real  danger  of  an  accident? 
I  wouldn't  care  so  much  if  I  had  my  new-fangled 
parachute  with  me,  and  could  only  get  outside; 
for  even  if  the  old  car  did  drop,  I'd  be  able  to 
sail  down  like  a  feather." 

"Danger — of  course  not  a  bit,"  Rob  told  him 
sternly.  "You  don't  suppose  the  managers  of 
this  big  Exposition  would  allow  a  mechanical  af- 
fair like  this  Aeroscope  to  be  run  day  after  day 
unless  the  owners  had  made  it  absolutely  accident 
proof.  Just  hold  your  horses  and  we'll  soon  be 
moving  again." 

"Yes,  and  Hiram,"  said  Andy  just  then,  "don't 
put  yourself  on  a  par  with  those  silly  screeching 
girls  over  there,  who  are  hugging  each  other  so. 
Poor  things,  they  don't  know  any  better!  But 
you're  a  scout,  Hiram,  and  have  'been  taught 
never  to  show  the  white  feather.  Brace  up! 
You're  wearing  khaki  right  now,  and  for  the  sake 
of  the  cloth  show  yourself  a  man!" 


156  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

That  brought  Hiram  to  a  realization  of  the 
fact  that  he  was  indeed  hardly  proving  himself 
a  worthy  scout.  He  pretended  to  be  indifferent. 

"Shucks!  who  cares ?"  he  exclaimed.  "I  do 
wish  them  girls'd  let  up  on  their  racket;  it  gets 
on  a  feller's  nerves  to  hear  'em  shriek  that  way/' 

"Well,  I  know  what  ails  the  old  thing!"  sud- 
denly announced  Andy,  with  a  grin  on  his  face 
that  told  how  his  love  for  joking  exceeded  any 
faint  feeling  of  alarm  that  may  have  seized  upon 
him. 

"Let's  hear  it,  then!"  demanded  Rob. 

"Oh,  if  you  had  only  guessed  it  before  we 
started  it  would  have  saved  lots  of  bother!" 
called  out  Hiram. 

"They  miscalculated  the  weight,  you  see !"  con- 
tinued Andy.  "Some  fellows  are  so  deceptive  in 
their  looks.  Now  right  across  from  us  there's 
a  fat  boy  with  his  back  turned  this  way,  and  star- 
ing hard  out  of  the  window.  I  bet  you  they  fig- 
ured wrong  on  him,  and  that's  why  we've  got 
stuck  up  here  four-fifths  of  the  way  to  the  top." 

The  other  two  now  looked,  and  owing  to  some 
of  the  passengers  in  the  car  crowding  together 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  157 

an  opening  was  made  like  a  little  lane.  At  the 
end  of  this  they  discovered,  just  as  Andy  had 
said,  an  exceedingly  fat  boy  occupying  more  than 
his  share  of  space,  with  his  chubby  legs  braced 
under  him,  and  his  face  pressed  against  the 
heavy  wire  netting  that  covered,  the  open  win- 
dows. 

Rob  stared,  and  looked  more  closely.  He  half 
opened  his  mouth  to  make  some  sort  of  remark, 
and  then  as  though  seized  with  a  second  thought, 
refrained. 

"Do  you  really  think  so,  Andy  ?"  asked  Hiram, 
in  a  half -awed  way,  as  though  he  actually  took 
some  stock  in  the  ridiculous  assertion  made  by 
the  other. 

"Well,  tell  me  a  better  explanation  if  you  know 
one!"  demanded  Andy,  which  was  a  queer  way 
of  clinching  an  argument. 

"Then  the  quickest  way  to  mend  matters  would 
be  for  you  to  go  over  there  and  toss  the  heavy- 
weight overboard,  don't  you  think,  Andy?"  asked 
Rob,  entering  into  the  spirit  of  the  joke,  especially 
since  he  really  believed  he  held  the  whip-hand 
over  the  fun-loving  Andy. 


158  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Huh!  think  so,  do  you,  Rob?"  said  Andy, 
making  out  as  though  he  felt  in  a  fighting  humor. 
"Well,  now,  perhaps  that  would  be  the  easiest 
way  to  fix  things.  I've  got  a  good  mind  to  try  it. 
Watch  my  smoke,  Hiram !" 

With  that  he  actually  squared  himself,  rolled 
up  the  sleeves  of  his  coat,  and  even  started  across 
the  car.  Hiram  turned  pale.  He  seemed  to  for- 
get that  there  was  no  possible  way  in  which  any 
one  inside  the  car  could  manage  to  effect  their  es- 
cape so  long  as  the  great  arm  of  the  giant  seesaw 
was  elevated  in  the  air. 

"Rob,  are  you  .going  to  stand  for  that?"  he 
burst  out. 

"No  use  trying  to  stop  him  now,  Hiram,"  he 
was  told/ 

"But  look  at  him  squaring  off,  Rob,  like  he 
really  means  it!"  cried  Hiram.  "It  would  be  just 
like  Andy,  he's  so  rash,  you  know,  to  get  us  all 
arrested.  What  if  he  did  knock  that  fat  boy  off 
the  car!  Why,  Rob,  don't  you  see  the  sudden 
jolt  when  the  weight  was  changed  might  make 
us  fly  up,  and  bring  about  a  catastrophe?" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION 

"That's  so,  it  might,  Hiram,"  said  Rob,  trying 
hard  to  keep  a  straight  face. 

"Oh!  it's  too  late  to  stop  him,  Rob!" 

"Yes,  I  see  it  is,"  replied  the  scout  leader,  and 
somehow  there  was  not  much  of  excitement  about 
either  his  voice  or  his  manner,  only  an  apparent 
inane  desire  to  grin,  Hiram  thought  as  he  looked 
at  his  chum. 

"There,  he's  actually  grabbed  hold  of  the  fat 
boy,  and  is  trying  to  lift  him  up  so  as  to  get  him 
out  of  the  window." 

"You're  a  little  off  there,  Hiram.  Seems  to  me 
I  would  say  Andy  was  trying  to  hug  the  poor  fat 
boy,  because  he's  certainly  thrown  his  arms 
around  him,  and  acts  as  if  he  might  be  glad  to 
meet  him !" 

"Why,  Rob,  whatever  can  that  mean!  He  is 
acting  just  as  you  say,  and  it  seems  to  me  Andy 
isn't  doing  all  the  hugging,  either." 

At  that  Rob  broke  into  a  hearty  laugh. 

"You  know  what  it  stands  for,  and  you  won't 
tell  me  a  thing,  which  I  think  is  a  mean  job," 
complained  Hiram. 

"Look  again,"  Rob  told  him.     "Now  the  fat 


160  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

boy  happens  to  have  his  face  turned  this  way. 
Don't  you  think  you've  seen  that  same  moon 
phiz  before,  Hiram?  Doesn't  it  somehow  take 
you  back  to  dear  old  Hampton,  and  the  many 
jolly  times  we've  had  on  our  camping  trips?  Say, 
you  ought  to  know  that  boy,  Hiram." 

As  soon  as  he  could  catch  his  breath,  Hiram 
gave  a  shout. 

"Why,  consarn  my  picture  if  it  isn't  our  chum, 
Tubby  Hopkins!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  161 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

FOUR  SCOUTS  IN  TH£  WHIRI,. 

"Come  on,  let's  join  them/'  suggested  Rob,  as 
he  led  the  way  over  to  where  Andy  Bowles  and 
the  stout  youth  had  started  to  shaking  hands  as 
though  they  never  meant  to  stop,  chattering  away 
like  a  pair  of  magpies,  and  utterly  unmindful  of 
the  fact  that  others  aboard  the  car  were  shriek- 
ing aloud  with  growing  fear. 

But  as  it  happened  just  then,  whatever  may 
have  been  the  cause  for  the  sudden  stoppage  of 
the  car  suspended  in  midair,  the  trouble  seemed 
to  have  been  rectified ;  for  even  as  Rob  led  Hiram 
over  to  the  other  pair  of  Hampton  boys,  the  up- 
ward passage  was  resumed  as  smoothly  as  though 
nothing  had  occurred. 

"Well,  well!  if  this  isn't  the  biggest  surprise 
ever !"  Tubby  exclaimed  as  he  seized  upon  a  hand 
of  each  of  the  two  newcomers,  and  then  looked 
around  just  as  if  he  had  begun  to  believe  the 
whole  of  Hampton  Troop  of  Boy  Scouts  must 


162  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

have  come  on  to  take  in  the  sights  of  the  big 
show. 

"Only  three  of  us,  Tubby,"  Rob  told  him. 
"We  consider  ourselves  the  luckiest  scouts  in 
the  whole  U.  S.  A.  to  get  a  chance  to  make  this 
side  of  the  slope.  Of  course  we  knew  you  were 
out  here  somewhere,  but  you  might  as  well  hunt 
for  a  needle  in  a  haystack  as  to  think  to  find 
anyone  in  this  mob." 

"But  tell  me,  won't  you,  please,  how  did  you 
make  it?"  asked  Tubby,  whose  round,  rosy  face 
seemed  redder  than  ever  under  all  this  excite- 
ment. 

"Wait  till  we  get  down  out  of  this  high  box," 
said  Hiram.  "We  came  up  here  on  purpose  to 
get  the  grand  view,  you  know.  Besides,  there 
are  too  many  ears  around  for  my  private  busi- 
ness to  be  talked  over." 

"Whew!"  said  Tubby,  surveying  the  speaker 
with  more  respect  than  he  had  ever  before  felt 
toward  Hiram,  whose  many  attempts  to  invent 
wonderful  things  had  never  been  taken  seriously 
by  his  companions. 

"But  Hiram  is  right,"  said  Rob.    "We'll  only 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  163 

be  up  here  a  short  while,  so  let's  use  our  eyes  the 
best  we  can.  It's  well  worth  coming  a  long  way 
just  to  get  such  a  panoramic  view  of  the  City, 
Bay  and  Fair." 

"Panoramic — whew!"  whistled  Andy;  "but  I 
guess  that  covers  the  ground  as  well  as  any  word 
you  could  scare  up,  Rob;  for  it  is  a  panorama  a 
whole  lot  better'n  any  I  ever  saw  painted  on  can- 
vas, like  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg  and  such." 

They  remained  at  their  several  posts  drinking 
in  the  wonderful  features  of  the  magnificent  view 
until  finally  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion 
again,  and  they  found  themselves  being  gradu- 
ally lowered  toward  the  ground.  The  buildings 
lost  their  squatty  appearance,  the  moving  throngs 
of  human  beings  ceased  resembling  crawling  flies, 
and  finally  the  four  boys  issued  from  the  cage 
satisfied  that  they  had  experienced  a  sensation 
worth  while. 

"Now,  let's  sit  down  here  in  the  shade  for  a 
little  while,  where  we  can  talk,"  suggested  Tubby 
Hopkins,  who  had  been  one  of  the  scouts  with 
Rob  over  in  Belgium  and  France  on  the  previous 
late  summer  and  fall  when  the  war  was  going 


164  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

on,  and  consequently  could  be  looked  on  as  hav- 
ing passed  through  some  lively  experiences. 

"Just  a  little  while,"  agreed  Andy;  and  Hiram, 
after  looking  longingly  away,  no  doubt  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  quarter  given  up  wholly  to  recent 
remarkable  inventions,  seemed  to  resign  himself 
to  martyrdom  for  a  spell,  for  he,  too,  found  a 
seat  close  by. 

"Now  tell  it  all  to  me/'  demanded  Tubby,  "be- 
cause I'm  just  sure  it  must  be  a  story  worth 
hearing.  What  happened  to  bring  you  three  fel- 
lows out  here?  Did  some  one  die  and  leave  you 
his  fortune?  It  takes  a  pretty  hefty  wad  of 
money  to  pay  all  the  expenses  of  a  jaunt  across 
the  continent/' 

"A  poor  guess  that  time,  Tubby/'  said  Rob. 
"We'll  have  pity  on  you,  and  give  you  the  details 
before  you  lose  weight  trying  to  hit  on  the  true 
explanation.  To  begin  with,  Hiram  won  the  trip 
his  own  way,  while  Andy  and  myself  just  hap- 
pened by  a  stroke  of  good  luck  to  run  upon  our 
chance." 

"Tell  that  to  the  marines,  will  you,  please?" 
scoffed  Tubby.  "Things  don't  just  happen  to 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  165 

you  that  way,  Mr.  Assistant  Scoutmaster  Blake. 
Every  time  I've  known  you  to  get  a  thing  you 
earned  it  by  the  sweat  of  your  brow.  I'd  rather 
believe  it  was  the  other  way,  and  that  Hiram  had 
dropped  on  a  piece  of  good  luck." 

"Well,  mebbe  I  did,  Tubby ;  but  then  I  showed 
perseverance  and  grit  such  as  a  true  scout  should 
allers  possess,  they  say ;  and  so  I  claim  I  earned 
my  right  to  be  out  here  at  the  Exposition.  Go 
on  and  tell  him  the  hull  story,  Rob." 

Seeing  that  he  was  expected  to  undertake  the 
job  of  being  spokesman  for  the  entire  party,  Rob 
started  in.  He  was  not  the  one  to  embellish  facts, 
or  try  to  make  things  seems  of  more  importance 
than  they  really  were.  Indeed,  if  anything,  Rob 
was  apt  to  go  to  the  other  extreme,  especially 
if  he  figured  at  all  in  a  leading  role  in  the  narra- 
tive. 

In  this  way  Tubby  was  finally  put  in  possession 
of  all  the  needful  information  connected  with 
their  coming.  He  heard  about  the  smart  way  in 
which  Hiram  had  conducted  his  negotiations  by 
mail  with  the  company  that  made  a  specialty  of 
aviation  goods,  and  which  apparently  had  so 


166  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

much  faith  in  his  patent  stabilizer  that  they  had 
advanced  sufficient  funds  to  enable  the  inventor 
to  come  out  and  visit  them  at  their  headquarters 
in  San  Francisco. 

Then  followed  the  account  of  how  Rob  and 
Andy  had  been  of  such  signal  service  to  Captain 
Jerry  and  his  famous  scientific  passenger  at  the 
time  the  old  naphtha  launch  took  fire  while  cross- 
ing the  bay  to  Collins'  Point ;  together  with  what 
resulted  from  that  rescue. 

It  was  all  very  interesting  to  Tubby,  who  asked 
many  questions  when  he  thought  Rob  was  hold- 
ing back  certain  facts  that  had  a  direct  bearing 
on  the  narrative. 

"You  see,  my  uncle  has  gone  up  to  Portland 
for  a  week  or  more  on  business/'  Tubby  told 
them.  "He  left  me  to  enjoy  myself  at  the  Expo- 
sition as  I  pleased.  I'm  not  going  around  in  my 
scout  clothes,  but  I've  got  the  khaki  suit  at  the 
hotel;  and  now  that  I've  met  you  fellows,  of 
course,  I  mean  to  wear  it  right  along,  even  if  I 
astonish  the  natives." 

"Oh,  boys  wearing  khaki  are  such  a  common 
sight  these  days!"  Rob  told  him  in  a  consoling 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  167 

way,  "that  you'd  not  be  apt  to  attract  any  per- 
son's attention,  even  if  you  are  stouter  than  any 
other  scout  going." 

"Yes,  I've  met  quite  a  few  of  the  boys  and 
chatted  with  them,  too/'  admitted  Tubby.  "You 
see,  I  always  make  it  a  point  to  wear  my  badges 
under  my  coat  even  if  I  am  in  mufti — is  that 
what  they  call  it,  Rob,  when  a  military  officer 
dresses  in  civilian  garb?  Yes,  the  scouts  are 
everywhere,  and  it  doesn't  surprise  you  one  bit 
when  you  see  a  couple  of  them  taking  part  in 
a  camel  race,  as  I  did." 

Having  finished  their  explanations,  and  urged 
on  by  the  impatient  Andy,  the  little  party  began 
to  make  the  rounds  of  the  amusement  zone.  It 
was  laid  out  on  such  an  extensive  scale  that  one 
could  hardly  expect  to  do  it  justice  in  one  after- 
noon; indeed,  Andy  announced  that  he  antici- 
pated putting  in  a  full  week  there,  taking  in  the 
sights,  and  feasting  his  eyes  on  the  wonders  that 
had  been  collected  from  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth  for  this  special  occasion. 

"Here's  where  we  can  see  in  miniature  what 
some  of  us  have  actually  looked  on  before  when 


168  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

building — the  working  of  the  great  Panama  Ca- 
nal," announced  Tubby,  as  they  arrived  at  the 
panorama  section.  "Shall  we  pay  and  take  chairs 
on  the  moving  platform  for  a  trip  around  ?" 

Of  course  there  was  not  a  dissenting  voice,  for 
they  were  boys,  and  had  plenty  of  spare  change 
and  wanted  to  see  all  the  sights,  at  least  once. 

After  that  nothing  would  do  for  Andy  but 
that  they  must  embark  on  the  train  for  a  trip 
through  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado, 
which  was  well  executed  with  regard  to  color  ef- 
fects so  as  to  excite  their  ardent  admiration. 

"I  was  sorely  tempted  to  take  that  side  trip 
on  the  way  here/'  Rob  confessed.  "We  could 
have  done  it  easily  enough,  but  you  see  I  didn't 
know  what  to  do  with  that  priceless  stuff  we  had 
charge  of  for  Professor  McEwen.  I  couldn't 
carry  it  on  mule  back,  and  didn't  dare  leave  it 
behind  at  the  hotel.  Besides,  we  promised  him 
we  wouldn't  linger  on  the  way  going,  but  do 
all  our  sight-seeing  coming  back." 

"I'm  going  to  fix  it  with  uncle,"  asserted 
Tubby  eagerly,  "so  that  I  can  hold  on  with  you 
fellows  if  he  has  to  return  sooner,  or  by  another 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  169 

route.  I  believe  I'd  enjoy  seeing  the  Selkirks  up 
in  Canada  first-rate,  'cause  I've  heard  a  lot  about 
that  wonderful  scenery." 

"We'll  be  glad  to  have  you  along,  Tubby,"  said 
Andy. 

"That  goes  without  saying,"  added  Hiram; 
while  Rob  smiled,  and  nodded  in  a  way  that 
Tubby  knew  meant  "those  are  my  sentiments, 
too,  every  time." 

The  next  thing  on  the  program  was  seeing 
Yellowstone  Park,  another  scenic  trip  so  realis- 
tic that  Andy  declared  he  would  always  have 
trouble  convincing  himself  he  had  not  actually 
been  through  the  National  Reservation  where 
the  hot  springs  and  geysers  flowed,  some  of  the 
latter  rising  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  into  the  air, 
with  steam  and  vapor  forming  a  dense  canopy 
around. 

It  was  just  after  they  had  come  out  from  this 
that  the  absence  of  Hiram  was  discovered. 
Tubby  professed  to  be  somewhat  alarmed,  and 
feared  their  old  chum  might  have  fallen  from 
the  observation  car ;  but  Rob  set  his  mind  straight 


170  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

when  he  admitted  that  he  had  seen  Hiram  sneak- 
ing away. 

"He'd  reached  his  limit  of  endurance,"  he  told 
Andy  when  the  latter  expressed  his  opinion  of 
one  who  cared  so  little  for  amusement;  "and 
we've  got  to  remember  that  our  chum  is  a  queer 
fish  at  best.  Besides,  his  heart  is  wrapped  up 
in  things  along  a  certain  line.  Let  him  go  his 
way;  and  later  on,  perhaps,  when  some  of  us 
have  grown  a  little  tired  of  all  this  clatter  in  the 
Zone,  we'll  hunt  up  the  aviation  field  and  see 
what  Hiram  is  doing." 

Andy  had  many  more  things  on  his  list,  but 
Rob  told  him  not  to  try  and  rush  it  all  into  one 
afternoon. 

"Take  it  easy,  Andy/'  he  advised.  "  'Rome 
wasn't  built  in  a  day/  you  remember.  We're 
going  to  be  around  these  haunts  for  a  good  long 
while,  and  one  by  one  we  can  see  all  the  shows 
that  are  gathered  here — that  is,  all  worth  seeing. 
These  odd  people  from  the  wilds  interest  me  con- 
siderably, too,  so  that  I  wouldn't  miss  looking 
in  OK  their  villages,  where  they're  genuine,  as 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  171 

most  of  them  are,  because  the  management  stand 
for  that  fact." 

It  may  have  been  nearer  four  o'clock  than 
three,  when,  being  more  or  less  tired  with  their 
first  day  at  the  Exposition,  the  three  chums 
turned  their  faces  in  a  quarter  that  up  to  then 
none  of  them  had  visited  save  Tubby,  and  he 
only  casually. 

"We'll  take  a  look  in  at  the  aeroplane  boys 
first,"  said  Rob;  "and  if  we  don't  run  across 
Hiram  there,  we  will  go  over  to  the  building 
where  he  says  many  of  the  latest  inventions  are 
on  exhibition." 

It  was  not  difficult  to  discover  which  way  to 
go,  for  overhead  several  aeroplanes  were  whiz- 
zing this  way  and  that.  Far  up  in  the  heavens 
they  could  see  a  small  speck  which  was  no  doubt 
some  daring  pilot  trying  for  an  altitude  record. 

"Makes  me  think  of  those  days  over  in  Bel- 
gium and  France,  eh,  Rob?"  remarked  Tubby 
Hopkins,  "where  we  saw  German  and  French  and 
British  and  Belgian  fliers;  yes,  and  even  a  big 
Zeppelin  that  was  meaning  to  bombard  some 
city." 


172  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Well,"  Andy  told  them,  "here  we  are  on  the 
field,  and  like  as  not  we'll  find  our  aviation  mad 
chum  over  in  that  crowd  around  the  machines 
on  the  ground,  where  the  starts  are  made." 

"I  rather  think  those  must  be  the  various  mod- 
els of  new  machines,"  observed  Rob,  and  imme- 
diately adding,  "There's  Hiram  now ;  he's  sighted 
us,  and  is  heading  this  way." 

"Yes,  with  a  grin  as  big  as  a  house  on  his 
face,"  asserted  Tubby;  "which  I  take  it  must 
mean  he's  struck  something  that  tickles  him  just 
fierce." 

Hiram  joined  his  three  comrades  a  minute 
later. 

"Well,"  he  said,  in  a  mysterious  fashion,  ad- 
dressing himself  particularly  to  Rob,  "the  Golden 
Gate  Aeroplane  Manufacturing  Company  has  a 
contraption  on  one  of  their  machines,  intended  to 
equalize  shifting  weights;  but  shucks!  it  isn't  in 
the  same  class  with  my  dandy  little  stabilizer. 
I  guess  they  mean  business  in  my  case,  with  a 
bigB." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  173 

CHAPTER   XV. 

TUBBY  IS  OUT  OF  HIS 


If  there  had  arisen  any  doubt  in  Hiram's  mind 
as  to  the  deep  interest  those  chums  were  taking  in 
his  enterprise,  it  must  have  been  quickly  dispelled 
when  he  made  this  announcement,  and  saw  the 
looks  of  delight  spreading  over  their  faces. 

"Bully!"  cried  Andy. 

"Best  wishes,  Hiram  !"  added  Tubby,  genially, 
as  he  patted  the  other  fondly  on  the  shoulder. 

Rob  did  not  say  anything,  but  if  looks  could 
speak  Hiram  might  easily  see  that  he  had  the  sin- 
cere sympathy  of  the  scout  leader;  though  he 
knew  that  much  before. 

"While  I've  been  hovering  around  here,"  con- 
tinued Hiram,  "making  myself  useful  whenever 
a  flier  was  going  up  by  running  with  the  machine 
to  give  it  a  good  start,  I've  kept  my  eyes  and  ears 
wide  open,  let  me  tell  you." 

"So  as  to  learn  all  you  could  about  the  Golden 
Gate  Company,  of  course?"  remarked  Andy. 


174  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Yes,"  Hiram  told  him,  frankly  enough,  "and 
soak  in  any  sort  of  knowledge  that  might  be  use- 
ful to  a  feller  that's  got  the  aviation  bee  abuzzin' 
in  his  bonnet.  And  I've  learned  a  heap,  let  me 
tell  you,  boys.  Why,  it's  paid  me  already  for  my 
long  and  arduous  trip  across  country.  I  c'n  start 
on  as  many  as  three  schemes  I've  been  hatchin' 
in  my  fertile  brain  this  long  time.  I  was  up  agin' 
a  blank  wall,  you  see;  but  now  I've  got  ideas 
worth  a  hull  lot  to  me." 

"That  sounds  all  right,  Hiram,"  Rob  told  him; 
"only  I  hope  you  go  slow  about  this  business. 
Don't  overdo  it,  or  we  may  have  to  take  you 
home  in  a  strait- jacket  yet." 

"Nixey,  not  for  me,"  jeered  the  other;  "my 
head's  as  clear  as  a  bell.  Fact  is,  I  never  felt  half 
as  bright  as  I  do  now.  The  clouds  have  been 
scattered,  and  seems  like  the  sun  was  shinin'  all 
the  time.  Once  I  get  this  stabilizer  business  well 
off  my  hands,  and  have  some  coin  to  go  to  work 
with,  you'll  see  the  dust  fly." 

"And  he  belongs  to  the  Eagles,  too!"  said 
Tubby,  in  wrapt  admiration.  "Seems  as  if  you 
just  can't  suppress  'em,  no  way  you  try.  There 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  175 

never  was  a  patrol  of  scouts  organized  that  had 
as  many  bright  minds  on  the  roster  roll  as  ours 
contains." 

Andy  immediately  took  off  his  campaign  hat 
and  made  Tubby  a  low  bow. 

"That's  nice  of  you,  Tubby,  to  say  such  sweet 
things  of  your  chums,"  he  remarked,  just  as  if  it 
sprang  straight  from  his  heart.  "And  we  want 
you  to  know  that  with  the  other  seven  the  name 
of  Tubby  Hopkins  will  go  ringing  down  the  ages 
in  Boy  Scout  history  as  one  who  always,  made 
his  mark.  And  I  can  testify  to  that  from  my 
own  personal  knowledge." 

From  the  way  in  wrhich  Hiram  and  Rob  tit- 
tered when  Andy  said  this  it  could  be  inferred 
that  they  knew  very  well  to  what  those  last  few 
words  referred.  The  fact  of  the  matter  was  that 
once  upon  a  time  Andy  had  had  the  misfortune 
to  be  under  a  tree  when  Tubby  was  knocking 
down  nuts ;  and  the  fat  scout,  losing  his  grip  on 
a  limb,  came  down  with  tremendous  force  di- 
rectly on  Andy,  who  was  flattened  out  on  the 
ground  like  a  pancake. 

He  carried  the  bruises  he  received  on  that  oc- 


176  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

casion  for  quite  some  time ;  but  no  one  could  bear 
malice  against  Tubby,  who,  scrambling  to  his 
knees,  had  immediately  expressed  great  solicitude 
for  his  unfortunate  comrade,  saying: 

"Oh,  excuse  me,  Andy,  I  didn't  know  you  were 
right  under  me,  or  I  might  have  chosen  some 
other  place  to  land." 

"You  don't  wonder  at  me  being  chained  to  this 
place,  do  you,"  asked  Hiram,  "when  there's  so 
much  happening  all  the  time,  with  pilots  going  up 
and  coming  down,  agents  explaining  the  use  of 
new  designs  of  aeroplanes  they  are  putting  on  the 
market,  and  everybody  'talking  shop'?  They 
reckon  I've  been  employed  in  some  place  where 
they  make  these  fliers,  because  I  know  somethin' 
about  them.  So  they  let  me  help  in  a  lot  of 
ways.  It's  fun,  I  tell  you,  the  best  fun  I  ever 
knew." 

Anyone  could  see  that  Hiram  was  right  in  his 
element.  His  freckled  Yankee  face  seemed  to 
glow  with  enthusiasm,  and  his  little  eyes  shone  in 
a  way  Rob  had  never  noticed  before.  Indeed,  if 
the  scout  leader  had  been  inclined  sometimes  to 
fear  Hiram  would  develop  into  a  harmless  crank, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  177 

with  only  vague  unreasonable  ideas  rattling  about 
in  his  loose  brain,  that  suspicion  was  rapidly  van- 
ishing. 

Perhaps  it  had  commenced  to  have  an  effect 
upon  Rob's  opinion  when  he  read  that  letter  from 
the  Golden  Gate  people.  They  were  hard-headed 
business  men,  and  not  visionary  dreamers;  and 
surely  they  would  never  have  advanced  all  that 
money  to  a  strange  inventor  unless  they  believed 
in  him,  and  meant  to  attach  his  genius  to  the 
fortunes  of  their  company. 

"I  own  up,  Hiram,"  said  Andy,  as  they  stood 
there  and  watched  the  many  things  that  were 
going  on  all  the  time  around  them,  "that  there 
must  be  a  sort  of  fascination  about  this  thing 
to  fellows  who  have  a  leaning  that  way.  But 
as  for  me  you  never  could  tempt  me  to  climb 
up  thousands  and  thousands  of  feet  like  the  air- 
pilot  in  the  monoplane  that  looks  like  a  swallow 
against  the  sky." 

"It  takes  some  nerve,  I'll  admit,  Andy,"  said 
Hiram,  modestly. 

"Huh!    plenty    of    people    may    have    nerve 


173  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

enough,"  objected  Andy,  "but  all  the  same 
they'd  be  laboring  under  physical  disabilities." 

"As  how,  Andy?"  asked  the  other. 

"Oh,  well,  take  our  chum  Tubby  here;  you 
never  could  expect  him  to  make  a  flier,  and 
bore  up  into  the  clouds.  In  the  first  place,  it 
wouldn't  be  fair  to  the  people  down  below.  He 
nearly  killed  me  once  by  dropping  just  ten  feet; 
think  what  would  happen  to  the  poor  chap  who 
happened  to  get  in  the  way  if  Tubby  came  down 
from  where  that  aviator  is  now?" 

Even  Tubby  had  to  laugh  at  that  highly 
colored  supposition. 

"Well,  one  thing  sure!"  he  exclaimed,  "I 
wouldn't  have  to  beg  pardon  for  squashing  him." 

"But  think  of  the  mess,"  chuckled  Andy. 

"Watch  that  man  who  has  just  gone  up  in  a 
monoplane.  He's  the  best  there  is  on  the  Coast, 
next  to  Beachey  himself,  who  is  a  native  of 
California.  You'll  see  him  turn  flip-flaps  to  beat 
the  band  presently.  Why,  I've  watched  him  go 
around  twice,  and  as  neat  as  a  circus  tumbler 
would  do  it  off  a  springboard  over  the  backs 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  179 

of  three  elephants.  There  he  goes!  What  d'ye 
think  of  that  ?" 

"Whew !  he's  a  corker,  for  a  fact !"  ejaculated 
Tubby,  as  he  stood  with  open  mouth,  gaping  at 
the  wonderful  exploits  which  the  reckless  air- 
pilot  was  engineering  far  up  above  the  earth. 

Rob,  chancing  to  turn  toward  the  stout  boy, 
saw  to  his  amusement  that  there  was  something 
of  a  wistful  expression  on  his  rosy  face.  Tubby 
could  at  least  feel  the  charm  that  this  hazardous 
sort  of  life  might  possess  for  venturesome  boys, 
even  though  he  knew  he  could  never  hope  to 
attain  any  standing  in  the  ranks,  owing  to  what 
Andy  had  well  called  "physical  disabilities." 

Athletes  alone  make  good  air-pilots,  and  a 
fellow  who  had  the  shape  of  a  tub  would  only 
be  useful  as  an  anchor,  or  something  like  that. 

Poor  Tubby!  It  did  seem  that  Fate  was 
cruel  to  him,  since  he  was  debarred  from  taking 
an  active  part  in  so  many  sports  such  as  boys 
enjoy.  But  Nature  had  at  least  given  him  a 
cheerful  disposition,  so  that  no  matter  how 
keenly  disappointed  he  might  be,  he  never  allowed 
this  to  sour  his  temper. 


180  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

They  stood  there  and  watched  the  trick  avia- 
tor doing  what  Hiram  called  "stunts."  Some- 
times the  boys  fairly  gasped  with  sudden  fear 
lest  the  man  aloft  had  made  a  miscalculation, 
and  would  come  plunging  down  like  a  stone  to 
his  death;  but  his  agility  and  quick  wit  always 
served  him  faithfully. 

"Some  of  these  fine  days  something  will  hap- 
pen that  he  doesn't  count  on,"  Rob  said,  soberly, 
"a  flaw  may  develop  in  some  part  of  his  ma- 
chine, just  where  it  counts  the  most;  and  then 
— well,  it  will  be  his  finish." 

"That  depends,"  remarked  Hiram,  quietly. 

"On  how  high  he  happens  to  be  at  the  time, 
you  mean  ?"  asked  Andy.  "Oh !  just  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  will  be  enough  to  put  him  out  of  busi- 
ness for  keeps." 

"Not  if  he  is  a  wise  man,  and  has  a  patent 
Nelson  self-acting  parachute  fastened  to  him  all 
the  time!"  declared  the  other,  proudly.  "It'll 
open  and  allow  him  to  drift  slowly  down,  like 
you  see  hot-air  balloon  performers  come  to  the 
earth  after  they've  cut  loose  above." 

"Good  for  you,  Hiram!"  exclaimed  Tubby; 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  181 

'"I  reckon  folks  have  got  to  sit  up  and  take  no- 
tice, now  that  you've  come  to  town!  Young 
blood  will  tell  every  time.  Oh,  but  I'm  glad  I 
met  my  chums!  It  was  getting  mighty  lone- 
some for  me,  in  a  crowd  all  the  time,  but  with 
not  a  solitary  fellow  to  speak  to.  And  Hiram, 
I'm  glad  you  coaxed  us  to  come  over  here.  I'm 
getting  interested  in  flying;  p'r'aps  if  I  cut  down 
my  feed,  and  knock  off  a  hundred  or  so  pounds 
I  might  have  a  show  in  this  business  yet." 

As  they  did  not  know  whether  Tubby  was 
joking  or  really  meant  it,  no  one  laughed  at 
his  strange  remark;  for  they  did  not  want  to 
hurt  his  feelings.  But  when  they  glanced  from 
the  corners  of  their  eyes  at  his  girth  the  absurd- 
ity of  his  hope  was  manifest.  Perhaps  they  may 
even  have  remembered  a  remark  once  made  by 
Joe  Digby  to  the  effect  that  Tubby  would  have 
to  have  an  extra  big  pair  of  wings  given  to  him 
if  ever  he  became  an  angel. 

"There's  another  exhibition  pilot  going  to 
start  up,  boys,"  said  Hiram  just  then.  "Suppose 
we  walk  over  closer,  and  you  can  watch  me 
lend  a  hand  to  shove  him  off  on  a  good  start." 


182  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"That's  right,  let's  get  closer  and  see  how 
things  are  done,"  added  Tubby,  as  he  bent  over, 
and,  picking  up  a  stick  of  clear  pine  that  had 
caught  his  eye,  he  took  out  his  penknife  and 
commenced  to  whittle  away  just  as  though  he 
might  be  the  representative  Yankee  of  fiction. 

But  whittling  had  always  been  a  favorite  occu- 
pation with  Tubby ;  somehow  it  seemed  to  soothe 
him  and  cause  his  thoughts  to  flow  more 
smoothly.  He  never  could  resist  an  extra  fine 
bit  of  wood,  though  besides  shavings  he  had 
never  been  known  to  produce  any  especial  result 
from  the  use  of  his  keen-edged  knife-blade. 

There  were  quite  a  number  of  people  around, 
and  they  seemed  to  be  more  or  less  interested  in 
the  claims  made  by  the  representatives  of  the  dif- 
ferent aeroplanes  that  were  being  displayed,  and 
in  the  practical  demonstrations. 

Tubby  listened  with  rapt  attention  as  some 
of  the  men  talked,  explaining  what  improve- 
ments had  been  made  in  the  working  construc- 
tion of  the  machine  just  then  about  to  be  put  to 
the  test. 

Hiram  was  doubtless  dreaming  of  the  hour  of 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  183 

his  triumph  when  one  of  these  aeroplanes  would 
be  equipped  with  his  wonderful  stabilizer,  and 
he  might  stand  there  listening  to  the  fulsome 
praise  of  the  Golden  Gate  Company's  demon- 
strator, before  a  practical  test  was  made,  to 
show  how  impossible  it  would  be  for  a  flying 
machine  that  carried  such  a  life-saving  device 
to  be  upset  by  flaws  of  wind,  or  the  sudden  move- 
merits  of  the  pilot. 

When  all  was  ready  for  the  flight,  Hiram  was 
one  of  those  who  laid  hands  on  the  aeroplane 
with  the  intention  of  running  a  score  or  two 
of  feet,  so  as  to  assist  in  the  start.  Unnoticed 
by  Rob,  Tubby,  too,  had  copied  Hiram's  example, 
urged  on  by  some  irresistible  impulse  approach- 
ing madness,  perhaps. 

When  the  wrord  was  given,  and  with  propeller 
whirling,  the  aeroplane  started  along  on  its  bicy- 
cle wheels,  with  a  dozen  pushers  to  assist,  there 
was  Tubby  in  the  midst. 

Suddenly  there  arose  a  series  of  shouts  of 
alarm. 

All  of  the  other  willing  helpers  had  dropped 
off,  only  Tubby  was  sprinting  furiously  after 


184  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

the  aeroplane,  which  was  bumping  along  over 
the  ground  with  ever  increasing  momentum. 
Rob  felt  a  thrill  of  real  alarm  when  he  believed 
he  saw  that  the  left  arm  of  the  stout  boy  was 
drawn  out,  as  though  in  some  unfortunate  way 
it  had  become  caught  in  a  trailing  cord,  so  that 
he  was  compelled  to  keep  on,  no  matter  how 
much  he  wanted  to  break  away! 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  185 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   ILLUMINATED   FAIRYLAND. 

"Oh!  Tubby!"  Andy  was  heard  to  cry  out 
above  the  clamor. 

It  was  all  over  in  a  few  seconds.  Rob  be- 
lieved he  saw  the  fat  boy  manage  to  get  his 
other  hand  out ;  and  it  flashed  through  the  scout 
leader's  mind  that  the  last  he  had  noticed  Tubby 
was  gripping  his  open  knife  in  that  hand. 

They  saw  the  stotft  boy  roll  over  and  over  like 
a  big  rubber  ball.  At  the  same  time  it  became 
evident  that  the  shouts  of  sudden  alarm  and 
horror  bursting  forth  from  the  crowd  must  have 
warned  the  aviator  that  something  was  wrong, 
for  he  instantly  shut  off  the  power,  and  the 
monoplane  was  now  slowing  up  instead  of  in- 
creasing its  speed  over  the  level  ground. 

Rob,  Andy  and  Hiram  joined  in  the  forward 
rush,  everybody  fearing  the  worst  with  regard 
to  poor  Tubby.  But  when  they  arrived  on  the 


186  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

spot  they  were  more  than  pleased  to  see  him 
calmly  brushing  off  his  clothes. 

"Did  you  get  hurt,  Tubby?"  demanded  Andy, 
anxiously. 

"Never  a  bit,"  replied  the  grinning  Tubby. 
"That's  the  good  of  being  encased  in  fat,  you  see. 
If  it  had  been  you,  Andy,  you  would  have  gotten 
a  broken  rib,  or  something  like  that.  Oh !  thank 
you  for  my  hat,  mister.  Did  anybody  see  my 
knife ;  it  slipped  out  of  my  hand  just  as  I  cut  the 
cord  that  was  holdin'  me  to  the  machine  ?" 

"Good  for  you,  Tubby,  if  you  had  the  pres- 
ence of  mind  to  do  that!"  cried  Hiram. 

"And  here's  your  knife,  my  boy,"  said  an  air- 
pilot,  advancing.  "You  had  a  narrow  escape, 
and  if  I  were  you  I  would  let  it  be  the  last  time 
I  ever  tried  to  run  with  a  machine.  If  you  had 
fallen  over  you  might  have  been  dragged  and 
killed/' 

"Not  by  that  cord,  I  should  think,  mister," 
declared  Tubby,  holding  up  the  piece  that  still 
dangled  from  his  left  arm,  where  a  loop  had 
accidentally  become  fast.  "It  would  have  broke 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  187 

short  on  me ;  but  all  the  same  I'm  through  trying- 
games  like  that.  I'm  not  built  for  it,  I  guess." 

They  were  pushing  the  monoplane  back  for 
another  start.  The  aviator  stopped  to  survey 
Tubby  from  head  to  foot. 

"So,  it  was  you  holding  me  back,  was  it? 
Didn't  get  hurt  any,  I  hope?  But  looky  here, 
young  fellow,  when  I  want  an  anchor  I'll  get  a 
real  one,  and  not  just  a  tub  of  jelly;  understand 
that,  do  you?" 

It  was  pretty  rough  on  Tubby,  for  the  crowd 
laughed  uproariously,  but  he  disarmed  the  anger 
of  the  air-pilot  by  joining  in  the  mirth. 

"I  meant  all  right,  mister,"  he  told  the  aviator, 
"and  it  would  have  been  easy  only  for  that  cord 
that  was  hanging  out.  It  got  caught  around 
my  arm,  and  I  couldn't  break  away.  Thank  you 
for  letting  me  off  so  easy." 

After  that  the  boys  walked  away.  It  had 
threatened  to  be  a  serious  matter  at  the  time, 
but  now  that  everything  was  over  Andy  and 
Hiram  were  secretly  exchanging  nods,  and 
chuckling  over  the  remembrance  of  their  fat 
chum  sprinting  after  the  swift  monoplane,  going 


188  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

„>« 

faster  no  doubt  than  he  had  ever  done  before 
in  all  his  life. 

"I  see  the  finish  of  the  rest  of  the  boys  in 
Hampton  when  the  foot  races  are  on  next  fall," 
Andy  complained,  in  what  he  meant  to  be  a 
serious  tone,  "if  you  take  to  doing  your  prac- 
ticing that  way,  Tubby." 

"Yes,"  added  Hiram,  "when  it  comes  to  the 
point  that  Tubby  can  keep  along  with  a  racing 
aeroplane,  or  a  speeding  motorcar,  the  rest  of 
us  might  as  well  throw  up  the  sponge  and  quit. 
He'd  make  circles  around  us  like  Rob's  boat  the 
Tramp  could  with  the  old  Sea  Gull." 

"Make  your  minds  easy,  boys,"  Tubby  told 
them  pleasantly.  "I'm  going  out  of  training. 
Once  is  enough  for  me.  You  can  have  the  field 
to  yourself,  Hiram;  only  if  I  were  you  I'd  quit 
that  running  business.  An  inventor  has  no  right 
to  take  chances;  and  what's  happened  once  may 
happen  again." 

"Well,  now,  I  never  thought  of  that,  Tubby," 
admitted  the  other,  shaking  his  head  seriously. 
"Just  as  you  say,  an  inventor  has  no  right  to 
expose  himself  like  an  ordinary  person.  No 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  189 

telling  what  he  might  not  think  up  some  day  for 
the  uplift  of  the  civilized  world.  He  sorter  be- 
longs to  science,  don't  he?  Yep,  I'll  stop  chas- 
ing after  aeroplanes;  but  of  course  I'll  have  to 
go  up  once  in  a  while  in  order  to  keep  in  touch 
with  things." 

"We're  about  ready  to  start  for  the  hotel, 
Hiram,"  announced  Rob;  "and  if  you've  decided 
not  to  introduce  yourself  to  the  Golden  Gate 
people  to-day,  you  might  just  as  well  come  back 
with  us." 

Hiram  sighed,  and  allowed  his  glance  to  rove 
over  to  where  the  crowd  still  gathered  around 
the  demonstration  station. 

"I  s'pose  I'd  better,"  he  replied  with  an  effort. 
"I  don't  want  to  be  greedy,  and  overdo  things; 
but  it's  giving  me  a  jolt  to  have  to  break  away 
from  here.  How  about  you,  Tubby;  coming 
along  and  have  dinner  with  us  to-night?" 

"Of  course  he  is,"  said  Rob  immediately. 
"To-morrow  he  must  change  hotels,  so  he  can 
be  one  of  our  party." 

"Why,  you  took  the  words  right  out  of  my 
mouth,  Rob,"  declared  Andy. 


190  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"That  makes  it  unanimous/7  added  Hiram, 
vigorously;  "so  you  see  there's  no  way  for  you 
to  back  fire,  and  break  away  from  your  moorings 
from  the  same  old  crowd,  Tubby." 

Tubby  smiled,  and  looked  pleased. 

"It's  nice  to  know  you're  appreciated,  let  me 
tell  you,  boys,"  he  observed.  "I'll  be  only  too 
glad  to  join  you  at  dinner.  Yes,  and  in  the 
morning  I'll  pack  my  grip  so  as  to  change  base. 
I  can  leave  a  letter  for  Uncle  Mark  that  he'll  get 
as  soon  as  he  comes  back  from  Oregon." 

So  that  much  was  settled,  and  somehow  all  of 
them  seemed  to  feel  pleased  over  the  addition  to 
their  ranks.  Tubby  Hopkins  was  always  like  a 
breath  of  Spring  and  a  welcome  guest  at  every 
camp  fire.  Gloom  and  Tubby  never  agreed;  in 
fact  he  radiated  good  cheer  as  the  sun  does  light 
and  heat. 

"What's  the  use  of  going  to  the  city,  and  eat- 
ing an  ordinary  dinner  at  some  hotel  or  restau- 
rant, when  we  can  get  such  a  corking  fine  spread 
at  the  place  where  we  had  our  lunch?"  asked 
Andy. 

"Well,  there's  a  whole  lot  of  sense  in  that," 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  191! 

admitted  Rob.  "We  can  sit  around  and  get 
rested,  then  go  to  our  dinner  before  the  evening 
rush  starts  in;  and  by  the  time  we're  through, 
the  illumination  of  the  Exposition  will  have  got- 
ten fully  under  way.  And  that's  a  sight  we're 
wanting  to  see,  you  know." 

Hiram  fell  in  with  the  idea  at  once,  and  Tubby 
declared  it  suited  him  perfectly.  So  once  more 
they  headed  toward  that  section  of  the  Zone 
where  the  giant  aeroscope  lifted  up  its  cage  of 
sight-seers  hundreds  of  feet  every  few  minutes, 
for  the  eating-place  had  been  close  to  this  spot. 

Since  they  were  looking  forward  to  several 
weeks  at  the  Fair,  no  wonder  the  boys  felt  very 
satisfied  and  happy.  There  was  so  much  to  see 
that  they  believed  they  could  put  in  all  the  time 
to  advantage  without  duplicating  anything. 

When  they  were  seated  at  the  table,  Tubby 
kept  his  chums  in  a  constant  roar  of  laughter  by 
his  many  quaint  remarks.  Sometimes  these  were 
called  forth  by  some  queer  type  of  foreigner 
chancing  to  pass  by;  and  then  again  it  might  be 
Tubby  would  revive  some  ludicrous  memory  of 
past  events  in  which  he  had  figured. 


192  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

They  certainly  seemed  to  enjoy  their  "feed," 
as  Tubby  called  it ;  it  was  not  unlike  a  camp  sup- 
per, when  eaten  under  such  odd  surroundings. 
Andy  openly  declared  that  with  so  many  swarthy 
turbaned  Arabs  strolling  by,  not  to  mention 
Egyptians,  Hindoos,  Algerians,  Moors,  and  the 
like,  he  could  easily  imagine  himself  away  off 
on  a  sandy  desert,  with  camels  as  the  only  means 
of  transportation. 

"Makes  me  so  thirsty  just  to  think  of  it  that 
I  have  to  keep  on  drinking  all  the  time ;  so  please 
get  me  another  cup  of  coffee,  waiter,"  he  said. 

"A  poor  excuse  is  better  than  none,"  remarked 
Hiram.  "Now,  I'm  going  to  have  a  second 
helping  of  that  ambrosia  nectar  just  because  I 
want  it.  I  don't  have  to  ring  in  all  that  taffy 
about  hot  deserts,  camels  and  such  stuff." 

By  the  time  they  were  through  with  dinner 
the  illumination  of  the  Exposition  grounds  was 
in  full  blast.  It  certainly  looked  like  fairyland 
to  Rob,  Andy  and  Hiram ;  though  the  last  named 
seemed  to  be  more  interested  in  figuring  how 
an  improvement  might  be  made  in  the  wonder- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  193 

f  ul  electrical  display  than  in  admiring  the  amaz- 
ing effect  of  the  myriads  of  colored  lights. 

The  roofs  of  buildings,  the  domes,  the  turrets 
and  the  towers,  as  well  as  the  Triumphal  Arch 
of  the  Setting  Sun  were  all  aglow.  It  made  a 
spectacle  not  easily  forgotten,  and  which  the 
boys  were  never  weary  of  gazing  at. 

As  all  of  them  felt  pretty  stiff  and  tired  from 
having  been  on  their  feet  so  much  that  day,  and 
not  being  used  to  it  after  sitting  so  long  on  the 
train,  it  was  determined  that  they  would  not 
linger  any  longer. 

"We'll  be  here  on  plenty  of  nights  up  to  the 
closing  hour,"  said  Rob,  "and  I  think  it  would 
be  poor  policy  to  overdo  things  in  the  beginning." 

"Yes,"  added  Tubby  with  the  air  of  an  oracle, 
"I  never  forget  what  I  was  once  told,  that  it's 
very  unwise  to  press  your  horse  in  the  start  of 
a  long  journey.  Let  him  generally  get  used  to 
going,  and  by  degrees  he'll  be  able  to  do  better 
work  right  along — and  finish  strong." 

"Same  way,"  added  Andy,  "the  jockeys  hold 
back  racers  till  they  reach  the  last  lap.  The  one 


194:  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

that's  the  freshest  on  the  home  stretch  is  the  one 
that's  going  to  win,  nine  times  out  of  ten/' 

"I'm  going  with  you,  boys,  and  see  all  I  can 
of  my  chums,"  announced  Tubby,  who  undoubt- 
edly hated  to  spend  even  one  more  night  alone. 
"I  can  engage  a  room  near  yours  for  to-mor- 
row, p'r'aps ;  and  besides,  Rob  has  something  he 
promised  to  show  me,  which  won't  keep  over  the 
night." 

What  he  referred  to  happened  to  be  some  pho- 
tographs Rob  had  taken  on  the  way  to  Califor- 
nia, and  which  would  have  looked  just  as  good 
on  the  next  day;  but  then  Tubby  was  hunting 
for  even  a  poor  excuse  to  hang  on  to  the  party 
as  long  as  he  could. 

They  took  a  carriage  at  the  exit.  At  the  office 
of  the  hotel  they  waited  until  Tubby  had  inter- 
viewed the  clerk,  with  Rob  at  his  elbow  to  vouch 
for  him. 

"Great  luck,  fellows!"  announced  Tubby,  as 
he  rejoined  Andy  and  Hiram.  "I  got  my  room 
all  right,  which  in  itself  is  a  wonder  with  all  the 
crowds  in  the  city  right  now;  but  would  you 
believe  it  I'm  next  door  to  you  I" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  195 

"It's  some  more  of  that  everlasting  Hopkins' 
luck,"  Andy  told  him.  "You  can't  be  kept  down, 
Tubby,  no  matter  how  they  try  it.  We've  seen 
you  bob  up  on  top  before  now.  And  look  at 
you  chancing  to  have  that  open  knife  in  your 
hand  this  afternoon,  when  that  cord  held  you! 
One  chance  in  ten  thousand  of  such  a  thing  hap- 
pening, and  yet  it  did  with  you.  Sometimes  I 
wish  my  name  wasn't  Bowles;  if  I  couldn't  have 
it  that  I  think  I'd  choose  Hopkins.  Sounds 
lucky  to  me!" 

Chattering  as  they  went,  the  four  chums 
sought  the  elevator,  and  were  soon  on  the  fifth 
floor  where  the  boys'  connecting  rooms  were  lo- 
cated. 

Rob  had  secured  only  the  one  key  at  the  desk. 
With  this  he  opened  the  door,  and  stepping  in- 
side reached  out  his  hand  to  switch  on  the  elec- 
tric light.  As  this  flashed  up  the  boys  stared 
about  them. 

"Wrong  room,  Rob,  I  bet  you!"  exclaimed 
Andy.  "We  never  left  things  scattered  around 
on  the  floor  like  this." 

"But  that  looks  like  your  suitcase,  Andy;  and 


196  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

this  open  steamer  trunk  is  mighty  similar  to  the 
one  we  fetched  along  to  hold  our  extra  clothes !" 
exclaimed  Rob. 

"Looks  like  somebody  had  been  in  here  loot- 
ing!" remarked  Tubby,  whose  eyes  seemed  as 
round  as  saucers  as  he  turned  from  one  object  to 
another. 

"Well,  what  d'ye  think  of  that?"  cried  Hiram, 
bitterly;  "here's  my  bag  turned  inside  out,  just 
like  some  sneak  thief  had  been  looking  for  money 
or  jewelry.  There's  been  an  attempt  at  robbery 
here,  fellows,  as  plain  as  the  nose  on  my  face!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  197 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

PRYING  FINGERS. 

"Let's  see  if  there's  anything  missing!" 

As  Andy  made  this  remark  he  started  to 
gather  up  some  of  his  possessions  that  strewed 
the  floor  close  to  his  suitcase,  where  they  had 
been  hastily  thrown  when  the  leather  receptacle 
was  emptied. 

"Wait  a  minute/'  said  Rob,  halting  him  in  the 
work;  "let's  take  a  general  look  around  first.  It 
seems  to  me  as  if  they  hadn't  gotten  more  than 
half-way  through  our  trunk.  That  would  indi- 
cate something  had  alarmed  the  thief,  and  caused 
him  to  leave  in  a  hurry." 

"Oh,  mebbe  I'm  not  tickled  nearly  to  death!" 
exclaimed  Hiram,  suddenly,  beaming  on  the 
others  as  though  he  felt  like  shaking  hands  with 
himself  over  something. 

"What  about?"  asked  Tubby. 

"I  can  give  a  guess,"  said  Rob.     "It's  about 


198  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

the  papers  we  left  in  the  safe  downstairs,  eh, 
Hiram?" 

"Just  what  it  is,  Rob,"  admitted  the  other, 
continuing  to  show  his  pleasure.  "Only  for  your 
smartness  in  getting  me  to  deposit  the  packet 
with  the  clerk  under  a  seal,  it  might  have  been 
in  my  bag  right  here.  Say,  I  wonder  now,  if 
that  was  what  the  thief  wanted?" 

"But  no  one  out  here  would  suspect  that  you 
carried  valuable  papers,  Hiram,"  objected  Rob. 

"How  do  we  know  that?"  asked  the  other,  who 
had  seized  upon  that  explanation  of  the  mys- 
tery, and  saw  no  reason  as  yet  to  abandon  his 
theory.  "Didn't  I  tell  you  how  several  compa- 
nies I  approached  had  men  in  their  employ  who 
tried  to  play  smart  games  on  me,  so  as  to  steal 
the  fruits  of  my  labor?  Rob,  you  haven't  for- 
gotten that  unscrupulous  Marsters,  have  you?" 

"Why,  no,  but  there's  a  whole  lot  that  would 
have  to  be  explained  about  him  before  I  could 
believe  he  had  anything  to  do  with  this  game," 
Rob  told  him. 

"Then  you're  of  the  opinion  it's  just  an  ordi- 
nary everyday  hotel  sneak  thief  who's  been  look- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  199 

ing  through  our  stuff  in  hopes  of  finding  some 
spare  money  hidden  away  in  one  of  our  grips, 
is  that  it,  Rob?"  and  Andy  started  in  once  more 
to  gathering  up  his  scattered  property,  rubbing 
at  the  bosom  of  a  shirt  where  it  seemed  to  be 
marked  with  dirty  fingers. 

"I  don't  believe  he  found  anything  worth  tak- 
ing," said  Hiram,  "because  we  made  it  a  point 
never  to  keep  valuables  in  our  bags,  outside -of 
those  rolls  belonging  to  your  Professor  Mc- 
Ewen." 

"If  anything  worth  a  considerable  amount  had 
been  stolen/'  ventured  Rob,  "I'd  have  stopped 
Andy  before  now  from  destroying  one  of  the 
finest  clues  that  could  ever  be  found.  I  mean 
that  finger-print  so  plainly  marked  on  the  bosom 
of  your  white  shirt.  With  the  modern  methods 
used  by  the  police  to  fix  a  crime  on  a  criminal, 
that  dark  impression  of  his  fingers  would  prove 
the  fellow  guilty  in  case  they  could  use  a  drag 
net  and  round-up  a  bunch  of  suspects." 

Tubby  stood  and  watched  the  others  work, 
gathering  their  belongings  together.  Both  Hiram 
and  Andy  growled  occasionally  because  the  thief 


200  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

in  his  haste  to  look  through  everything  had  jum- 
bled things  considerably. 

"What  did  he  want  to  waste  his  precious  time 
for  trying  to  find  anything  worth  while  in  the 
belongings  of  three  boys?"  Andy  asked,  as 
though  he  had  a  personal  grievance  against  the 
rogue  who  had  entered  their  rooms  with  a  dupli- 
cate key,  since  they  had  certainly  found  the  door 
locked. 

Struck  with  an  idea,  Rob  stepped  over  to  one 
of  the  windows  and  looked  out. 

"Think  he  may  have  climbed  in  from  some 
fire-escape,  don't  you,  Rob?"  demanded  Tubby, 
who  had  noted  this  move  on  the  part  of  the  scout 
leader. 

"The  idea  struck  me,"  admitted  Rob,  "but  it 
only  took  one  look  to  tell  me  such  a  thing  is 
quite  impossible,  and  out  of  the  question.  No, 
he  must  have  come  in  by  the  door." 

"And  went  out  the  same  way?"  continued 
Tubby. 

"Yes,  after  upsetting  our  things  in  the  way  he 
did,"  pursued  Rob. 

"I  s'pose  he  found  out  that  the  owners  of  the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  201 

trunk  and  bags  were  only  three  boys/'  Tubby 
went  on  to  say  in  his  logical  way,  "and  then 
he  threw  up  the  game;  no  use  expecting  to  run 
across  jewelry  or  any  extra  cash  in  baggage  be- 
longing to  boys  seeing  the  Fair." 

"Seems  like  it's  the  old  story  over  again,"  Hi- 
ram remarked,  "and  there's  no  end  to  the  queer 
things  we  run  up  against.  I'm  getting  so  nowa- 
days I  expect  some  surprise  to  break  in  on  me 
any  minute,  day  or  night.  If  it  isn't  one  thing 
then  it's  another.  And  when  all  else  fails  why 
we  c'n  depend  on  Tubby  here  to  keep  the  wheels 
spinning  with  some  of  his  antics." 

"Antics !"  echoed  Tubby,  indignantly.  "I  ob- 
ject to  you  giving  my  adventure  of  this  after- 
noon such  a  name  as  that.  You  must  think  I 
would  purposely  tie  myself  to  a  speeding  aero- 
plane, and  then  have  to  run  after  it  just  for  the 
fun  of  the  thing.  Antics  nothing.  Misfortunes, 
you'd  better  call  my  troubles  after  this." 

"Oh,  never  mind,  Tubby !  After  all,  you 
didn't  get  hurt,"  said  Andy.  "In  this  case  it 
looks  like  the  thief  had  had  his  troubles  fo,r 
nothing." 


202  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"I've  got  a  theory/'  said  Rob,  "but  of  course 
there's  no  way  of  proving  it.  It's  connected  with 
those  two  fellows  who  tried  to  play  a  smart  game 
on  Hiram  here  at  Los  Angeles,  and  got  left  for 
their  pains." 

"Hello!  I  haven't  heard  anything  about  that 
up  to  now,"  exclaimed  Tubby.  "Who  and  what 
were  they,  Rob?  Ten  to  one  you  engineered  a 
scheme  to  block  them,  because  it  would  be  just 
like  Rob  Blake  to  do  that." 

So  Andy,  having  a  glib  tongue,  took  it  upon 
himself  to  relate  the  adventure  of  the  through 
train,  and  how  the  two  clever  rogues  had  tried 
to  get  them  to  enter  a  carriage  as  prisoners, 
meaning,  of  course,  to  rob  Hiram  as  soon  as  the 
chance  came. 

Tubby  laughed  when  he  heard  how  their  plan 
was  brought  to  naught.  His  merriment  grew 
even  more  boisterous  after  he  learned  that  Rob 
had  taken  Hiram's  papers  to  secrete  them  on  his 
person,  while  the  other  hid  some  old  letters  in  an 
inside  pocket,  which  were  deftly  "lifted"  during 
the  short  time  the  boys  happened  to  be  in  close 
touch  with  the  pair  of  rogues. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  203 

"Just  to  think  of  the  bitter  disappointment 
they  met  with/'  said  Tubby  between  his  gasps. 
"I'm  sure  they'll  remember  you  fellows  with  any- 
thing but  pleasure.  Every  time  they  glimpse  a 
boy  in  khaki  they'll  be  apt  to  utter  some  hard 
words." 

"Well,"  continued  Rob,  "it  was  on  what  they 
must  feel  that  I  based  my  theory.  You  see,  they 
must  have  been  coming  to  one  of  the  expositions, 
probably  the  big  Panama-Pacific  show,  to  ply 
their  trade.  That  would  take  them  here  to  San 
Francisco.  By  some  chance  or  other  they  may 
have  seen  us,  and  found  out  where  we  are  stop- 
ping; and  this  raid  was  carried  out  more  with 
a  desire  to  have  revenge  on  us  than  anything 
else.  If  some  one  hadn't  alarmed  the  fellows 
they  might  have  amused  themselves  destroying 
everything  in  our  bags  and  trunk." 

"A  mean  revenge,  but  I  wouldn't  put  it  past  a 
thief  who  was  boiling  mad  because  three  Boy 
Scouts  had  managed  to  get  the  better  of  him," 
Andy  declared,  with  considerable  emphasis, 
which  looked  as  though  he  rather  favored  the 
theory  advanced  by  the  scout  leader. 


204  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Wheel  I  hope  this  thing  isn't  as  catching 
as  the  measles,"  ventured  Tubby.  "You  know, 
I've  gone  and  paid  out  some  good  money  for 
several  things  that  caught  my  eye  in  the  booths 
at  the  Exposition;  and  I'd  hate  to  have  some 
one  get  away  with  them  during  my  absence." 

"Oh,  small  chance  of  that  happening,  Tubby! 
And  if  you're  afraid  to  stay  alone  to-night,  why, 
I'll  go  over  with  you  to  get  your  bag,  and  come 
on  here,"  Andy  told  the  anxious  one. 

Perhaps  Tubby  was  at  first  sorely  tempted  to 
accept  that  offer;  but  then  he  chanced  to  catch 
a  gleam  of  amusement  on  Hiram's  face.  That 
settled  the  matter.  Pride  stepped  in  and  took 
the  reins. 

"Oh,  never  mind  about  that,  Andy!"  he  has- 
tened to  say.  "It's  very  kind  of  you  to  offer  me 
help,  but  I  think  I  had  better  wait  until  morning. 
I'll  be  around  early  and  take  breakfast  with  the 
bunch,  remember.  What  time  do  you  eat?" 

Hiram  and  Andy  allowed  Rob  to  settle  that 
for  them. 

"Call  it  eight  o'clock,  then.  We'll  wait  that 
long  for  you,  Tubby,"  the  scout  leader  said. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION 

"I'll  be  on  the  move  by  seven,  and  as  I  expect 
to  pack  my  bag  to-night  before  turning  in,  it 
isn't  going  to  take  me  long  to  finish/' 

Tubby  got  up  as  though  he  knew  he  ought  to 
be  going;  but  apparently  he  hated  to  part  from 
his  chums.  They  had  been  together  so  much  of 
recent  years  that  they  were  as  thick  as  peas  in 
a  pod. 

Rob  somehow  did  not  seem  to  be  altogether 
satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  first  examination 
of  the  room;  he  was  heard  moving  around  in  the 
second  apartment.  When  he  joined  the  rest 
again,  Andy,  who  must  have  guessed  what  he 
had  been  about,  began  to  question  Rob. 

"Find  anything  to  give  the  game  away  in 
there,  Rob?"  he  asked. 

"Well,  no,  not  that  I  could  see,"  the  scout 
leader  replied.  "The  door,  as  you  may  remem- 
ber, is  locked,  and  the  key  at  the  office,  where  we 
haven't  bothered  taking  it  out.  Besides,  when 
we  left  this  morning  I  shot  the  bolt  home,  so 
that  no  thief  could  have  entered  by  that  door; 
and  certainly  no  one  left  the  room  that  way,  or 
the  bolt  would  not  be  in  the  socket  as  it  is." 


20G  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Oh,  well,  what's  the  use  of  bothering  about 
it?  We  don't  as  a  rule  believe  in  crying  over 
spilled  milk.  If  that's  the  case,  why  should  we 
fret  when  there's  been  no  damage  done  at  all, 
except  my  white  shirt  being  soiled  by  finger 
prints?" 

"Send  that  to  the  hotel  laundry  and  forget  it," 
advised  Tubby.  "Where  did  I  leave  my  hat? 
Oh,  here  it  is!  By  the  way,  don't  be  surprised 
when  you  see  me  in  the  morning,  because  I  ex- 
pect to  be  togged  out  in  my  khaki  uniform,  which 
Uncle  had  me  fetch  along  in  my  big  collapsible 
grip."  ; 

"We'll  try  and  stand  the  wonderful  sight  the 
best  way  we  can,"  Hiram  told  him;  "but  break 
it  to  us  by  inches,  please,  Tubby,  so  as  to  avoid 
as  much  risk  as  possible.  I've  got  a  weak  heart, 
you  kriow,  and  a  sudden  shock  might  be  serious." 

"Too  bad  you  made  your  bargain  with  the  ho- 
tel clerk  before  you  donned  your  khaki,  Tubby," 
ventured  Andy.  "He  might  have  given  you  the 
room  at  half  the  price  you  expect  to  pay  for  it 
now  on  the  European  plan.  Your  presence  here 
would  be  a  standing  advertisement  for  the  place. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  207 

They  could  afford  to  let  you  stay  for  nothing  if 
only  you'd  agree  to  stand  outside  the  restaurant 
door  an  hour  each  day,  and  pick  your  teeth/' 

All  this  kind  of  "joshing"  had  no  effect  on 
Tubby,  who  really  seemed  rather  to  enjoy  being 
a  target  for  these  shafts  of  sarcasm  leveled  by 
his  comrades,  for  his  smile  was  as  bright  and 
cheery  as  ever. 

"I'll  tie  my  shoe  first,  and  then  skip  out.  Must 
be  going  on  nine  o'clock  now,  and  I've  got  some 
lost  sleep  to  make  up." 

Saying  which  he  dropped  down  on  one  knee 
and  set  to  work.  The  others  accommodated 
themselves  to  the  several  easy-chairs,  Hiram 
swinging  one  of  his  long  legs  over  the  arm  of 
his  seat  in  real  Yankee  fashion. 

Rob  yawned,  and  then  taking  out  his  little 
notebook — in  which  he  was  particular  to  jot 
down  every  daily  event  of  any  consequence  on 
the  trip — he  felt  in  his  pocket  for  a  pencil. 

"By  the  way,  Hiram,  you  borrowed  my  pen- 
cil this  afternoon,  and  didn't  return  it,"  he  re- 
marked, stretching  out  his  hand  toward  the  other 
scout,  who,  with  a  sheepish  shrug  of  his  shoul- 


208     .  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ders,  fished  the  article  in  question  out  of  his  vest 
pocket  and  handed  it  over. 

It  was  just  then  that  Tubby  fairly  scrambled 
to  his  feet.  Rob  looked  up  in  some  surprise, 
when  to  his  further  astonishment  the  fat  boy 
tiptoed  over,  bent  down,  and  said: 

"Please  don't  give  me  the  grand  laugh,  Rob, 
when  I  tell  you  I  saw  something  moving  under 
that  bed  there — a  pair  of  shoes !" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  209 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE  THIEF  UNDER  THE  BED. 

"Hey,  what's  that,  Tubby?" 

It  was  Hiram  who  whispered  this  in  a  rather 
hoarse  and  strained  voice.  He  had  managed  to 
just  barely  overhear  what  the  fat  scout  was  tell- 
ing Rob,  and  could  hardly  believe  his  ears. 

Rob  instantly  held  up  a  warning  finger.  His 
face  looked  serious  for,  while  after  all  it  might 
prove  that  Tubby's  imagination  was  playing 
tricks  with  him,  there  were  circumstances  that 
gave  the  matter  a  suspicious  look. 

Some  one  had  certainly  been  in  their  rooms 
turning  things  upside-down,  as  though  search- 
ing for  articles  of  value,  or  with  the  intention  of 
creating  as  much  havoc  and  confusion  as  pos- 
sible. 

Besides  this,  had  they  not  already  concluded 
that  this  person  must  have  been  disturbed  in  his 
vandal  work?  They  believed  he  had  fled,  but 
after  all  it  was  possible  that,  hearing  them  at 


210  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

the  door,  he  had  made  the  utmost  haste  to  con- 
ceal himself  in  the  first  hiding  place  available, 
which  was  under  one  of  the  beds. 

Rob  had  to  think  quickly. 

The  man  must  be  a  (Asperate  rascal  or  he 
would  never  have  taken  the  chances  he  did  in 
entering  their  apartments  bent  on  such  work. 
Consequently  he  would,  of  course,  be  armed,  and 
if  given  half  a  chance,  might  make  things  exceed- 
ingly disagreeable  for  the  four  scouts. 

What  should  be  done? 

Hiram  was  already  pointing  toward  the  house 
telephone,  as  though  suggesting  the  use  of  it  to 
bring  help  from  below.  Rob  shook  his  head  to 
indicate  that  the  plan  did  not  seem  to  appeal  to 
him  when  there  might  be  a  better  one  to  adopt. 

They  were  four  in  number,  and  pretty  husky 
fellows  in  the- bargain,  who  in  times  past  had  ac- 
complished quite  a  few  feats  worth  mentioning. 
It  would  be  too  bad  if  a  squad  of  scouts  of  their 
caliber  and  experience  could  not  manage  in  some 
way  to  smother  a  single  concealed  thief. 

Of  course,  by  this  time,  Andy  had  come  to 
realize  that  there  was  something  very  exciting 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION 

and  mysterious  going  on.  He  wanted  to  burst 
out  with  a  plain  question,  and  ask  Rob  what  it 
was  all  about;  but  reading  the  signification  of 
that  upraised  finger,  and  the  frown  on  the  scout 
leader's  face,  he  simply  put  out  a  hand  and  rested 
it  on  Rob's  sleeve  while  a  pleading  expression 
gripped  his  face. 

Taking  pity  on  Andy,  and  believing  that  they 
must  all  work  together  if  they  expected  to  ac- 
complish anything,  Rob  bent  over  and  whis- 
pered in  his  ear. 

"Somebody's  hiding  under  the  bed,  Tubby 
says.  Now  laugh  out  loud  as  though  we  were 
having  a  joke;  that  is  to  keep  him  quiet  a  while 
longer." 

Fortunately  Andy  Bowles  was  quick-witted 
enough  to  grasp  the  peculiar  situation.  He  un- 
derstood just  why  Rob  wanted  him  to  make  it 
appear  as  though  things  were  moving  along  as 
usual,  and  that  no  suspicion  had  been  aroused. 

So  Andy  laughed.  If  there  was  a  queer, 
husky  touch  to  the  sounds  he  emitted  to  order 
surely  Andy  could  hardly  be  blamed,  for  he  must 


212  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

have  been  quivering  all  over  just  then  from  hys- 
terical excitement. 

Rob  drew  the  heads  of  Tubby  and  Andy  down 
close  to  his  mouth.  They  knew  he  meant  to  issue 
instructions,  and  hence  eagerly  strained  their 
hearing  so  that  not  a  single  syllable  might  be 
lost.  Meanwhile  Hiram  was  standing  near  by, 
and  busily  engaged  in  taking  off  his  khaki  coat 
which,  being  quite  new,  he  evidently  did  not 
mean  to  have  mussed  in  any  rough  and  tumble 
work. 

At  another  time  Rob  would  have  smiled  t(>  see 
Hiram  carefully  folding  his  coat  and  then  softly 
depositing  it  on  the  bed  that  was  held  under  sus- 
picion; but  it  did  not  cause  a  ripple  of  amuse- 
ment to  cross  his  serious  face  now. 

"You  and  Tubby  pass  around  to  the  other  side 
of  the  bed,  and  try  to  act  as  if  you  were  cutting 
up/'  Rob  whispered.  "Keep  your  eyes  on  me, 
and  when  I  give  the  word  lay  hold  of  his  legs 
and  yank  him  out.  Tubby,  we  depend  on  you  to 
keep  him  from  getting  to  his  feet;  squash  him 
if  necessary.  Get  that,  both  of  you?" 

Both  heads  eagerly  nodded  an  affirmative  re- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION 

ply.  The  plan  was  so  extremely  simple  that  there 
did  not  seem  to  be  any  possibility  of  confusion. 

Tubby's  face  was  not  quite  so  rosy  as  usual, 
perhaps,  but  no  one  could  say  he  looked  fright- 
ened in  the  least.  He  immediately  started  some 
"horse-play"  with  Andy,  laughing  as  he  pushed 
the  other  around  the  foot  of  the  bed  so  that  they 
could  presently  bring  up  on  the  other  side. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  very  first  opportu- 
nity, Tubby,  even  while  continuing  to  pretend 
to  wrestle  with  Andy,  pointed  a  finger  down- 
ward. Knowing  what  this  was  meant  for,  Andy 
ducked  his  head  in  order  to  also  get  a  glimpse 
of  the  object  the  fat  boy  considered  so  suspi- 
cious. 

Meanwhile  Rob  and  Hiram  were  holding 
themselves  in  readiness  to  jump  around  to  any 
point  where  they  could  make  their  presence 
count.  The  former  was  keeping  an  anxious  eye 
on  Tubby  and  Andy.  When  he  saw  the  latter 
make  that  quick  movement,  Rob  knew  what  it 
meant,  and  understood  that  considerable  would 
depend  on  how  Andy  came  to  decide. 

So  Rob  fairly  held  his  breath  awaiting  the 


214  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

verdict.  If  after  all  Tubby  had  allowed  his  im- 
agination to  get  the  better  of  him,  and  had  mis- 
taken some  simple  object  for  a  pair  of  shoes  un- 
der the  bed,  Andy's  keen  eyes  would  quickly 
detect  the  illusion,  and  they  might  expect  to  hear 
him  give  a  roar  of  amusement. 

Nothing  of  the  kind  happened,  it  turned  out. 
Instead  of  this,  when  Andy  once  more  straight- 
ened up  he  nodded  his  head  toward  Rob  in  a  way 
that  could  have  only  one  meaning — he  was  ready 
to  risk  his  reputation  for  veracity  along  with 
Tubby  in  admitting  that  the  facts  looked  sus- 
picious. 

That  settled  the  matter  with  Rob.  They  must 
combine  to  make  a  sudden  assault  on  the  con- 
cealed thief  and  try  to  overpower  him  before  he 
could  place  himself  in  a  condition  to  do  them 
harm. 

Like  a  wise  general,  the  scout  leader  took  one 
last  look  around  in  order  to  see  that  his  forces 
were  all  in  their  respective  positions  before  he 
gave  the  signal  that  would  precipitate  action. 

Andy,  impatient  to  get  busy,  made  a  signifi- 
cant gesture,  opening  and  shutting  both  hands 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  215 

rapidly,  while  a  faint  grin  could  be  seen  on  his 
face.  This  was  intended  to  convey  the  intelli- 
gence that  he  was  eager  to  lay  hold  on  the  lower 
extremities  of  the  sneak  thief  cowering  under  the 
bed,  and  start  to  drag  him  out  from  his  place  of 
concealment. 

There  was  no  need  of  any  further  delay,  and 
so  Rob  made  a  quick  movement  with  his  hand, 
at  the  same  time  exclaiming: 

"Now's  your  time ;  get  him !" 

Before  the  last  word  had  been  uttered  Andy 
was  bending  down  and  hurling  himself  part-way 
under  the  bed.  He  immediately  began  to  back 
out,  tugging  with  all  his  strength  at  something 
upon  which  he  had  pounced. 

Tubby  also  took  hold  and  united  his  power 
with  that  of  the  other  scout.  They  made  short 
work  of  it,  once  that  combination  got  started. 
Out  from  under  the  bed  they  dragged  a  strug- 
gling figure  that  was  scratching,  clawing  and 
trying  in  every  possible  way  to  swing  around  so 
that  he  would  not  be  taken  at  such  a  terrible  dis- 
advantage. 

By  that  time  Rob  and  Hiram  had  managed  to 


216  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

arrive,  the  latter  scrambling  directly  across  the 
bed  in  his  hurry  to  get  into  action. 

There  was  a  lively  little  scene  for  a  brief  in- 
terval, with  all  of  them  trying  to  keep  those  kick- 
ing legs  and  violently  driven  arms  pinned  down. 

A  few  blows  were  given  in  the  struggle,  and 
not  all  on  one  side,  since  Andy  had  a  thrust  in 
the  eye  that  made  the  tears  come,  and  Tubby 
received  a  kick  which  forced  a  grunt  from  his 
lungs. 

Whoever  the  fellow  might  be  he  evidently  was 
convinced  that  his  condition  was  desperate,  judg- 
ing from  the  wild  way  he  fought,  to  break  away, 
with  the  intention  of  bolting  from  the  room. 

In  the  midst  of  the  melee  Tubby  settled  the 
affair  in  a  unique  way  all  his  own,  and  which 
none  of  the  others  could  have  imitated  even 
though  they  sought  to  do  so. 

He  simply  allowed  himself  to  sit  down  squarely 
on  the  squirming  figure  with  which  they  had  been 
battling  so  fiercely.  When  that  heavyweight  set- 
tled down,  it  was  like  a  stone  wagon  dropping 
into  a  hole  in  the  road.  They  heard  a  gasp  from 
the  unfortunate  wretch  underneath,  whose  strug- 


There   was   a   lively   little   scene   for  a   brief  interval.— 
Page  216. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  217 

gles  immediately  began  to  lose  much  of  their 
former  vigor. 

It  happened  that  at  the  time  the  thief  was  ly- 
ing on  his  stomach,  so  that  Tubby  perched  on  his 
back,  which  might  have  been  broken  had  the  fel- 
low been  less  sturdily  built. 

After  that  there  was  really  nothing  more  for 
the  others  to  do;  Tubby  was  equal  to  the  task 
of  keeping  his  victim  pinned  there  in  spite  of 
anything  the  wretched  fellow  might  try  to  do. 

It  was  then  they  heard  him  wheezing  as  though 
short  of  breath,  and  saw  his  hand  moving  as  if 
in  abject  appeal. 

"I  give  up  I  I'm  all  in !  Please  don't  kill  me, 
Rob  and  Andy !  Won't  you  let  Tubby  get  up  off 
my  back ;  he's  smashing  my  ribs,  I  tell  you !" 

Rob,  Andy  and  Hiram  stared  at  each  other  as 
though  they  hardly  knew  whether  they  could  be 
awake  or  dreaming.  Why,  the  squirming  wretch 
whom  they  found  hidden  under  the  bed,  and  who 
had  undoubtedly  been  searching  their  effects 
with  robbery  in  view,  had  actually  mentioned  the 
name  of  Rob  and  that  of  Andy.  Yes,  he  had 


218  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

even  begged  that  Tubby  be  restrained  before  he 
utterly  crushed  his  back  and  sides ! 

It  gave  them  one  of  the  greatest  surprises  in 
all  their  experience;  for  how  a  common  hotel 
sneak  thief  should  know  who  they  were,  and  ad- 
dress them  so  familiarly,  was  past  their  com- 
prehension. 

Tubby,  too,  looked  astounded,  though  he  made 
no  move  to  get  up  in  response  to  the  pitiful 
wheeze  of  the  wretch  he  was  pinning  to  the  floor. 
Perhaps  it  filtered  through  the  slow-moving 
brain  of  the  fat  scout  that  this  might  be  only  one 
of  those  clever  tricks  known  to  sharpers,  and 
entered  into  simply  to  gain  some  advantage. 

Rob  knew  differently.  There  seemed  to  be 
something  about  that  whine  on  the  part  of  the 
prisoner  that  was  familiar,  though  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment  Rob  .could  not  have  told  where 
he  had  last  heard  it. 

Accustomed  to  prompt  action,  the  scout  leader 
motioned  to  Andy  and  Hiram  to  hold  themselves 
in  readiness  to  seize  upon  the  fellow's  arms,  and 
in  this  manner  keep  him  from  taking  advantage 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  219 

of  his  newly  acquired  freedom  when  Tubby 
arose. 

"Now  you  can  get  up,  Tubby!"  said  Rob. 

Tubby  thereupon  gave  one  of  his  satisfied 
grunts  and  commenced  to  roll  off  his  human 
cushion  for,  as  a  rule,  when  he  wished  to  gain 
his  feet,  like  the  elephant  he  resembled  in  many 
ways,  the  fat  boy  had  to  get  upon  his  knees  first 
of  all,  and  then  make  a  further  effort. 

"Turn  him  over,  Andy,  Hiram ;  and  if  he  tries 
any  funny  business  he'll  wish  he  hadn't,  that's 
all!"  Rob  told  the  others,  who  immediately 
started  to  obey. 

"Oh,  believe  me,  I've  had  enough  as  it  is, 
Rob !  I  hope  you  won't  be  too  hard  on  me  this 
time!  I  was  wild  to  get  back  home,  and  that's 
the  truth,"  the  fellow  was  crying  as  Andy  and 
Hiram  turned  him  on  his  back. 

The  former  bent  down  to  stare  into  the 
thief's  face,  Rob  fairly  held  his  breath,  await- 
ing the  explosion  something  told  him  was  due. 
Nor  was  he  mistaken,  for  Andy  drew  back,  ut- 
tering exclamations  of  wonder. 

"Why,  who  d'ye  believe  it  is,"  he  burst  out, 


220  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"but  that  sneak  of  a  Jared  Applegate  who  had 
to  skip  out  of  Hampton  when  things  got  too  hot 
for  him,  and  who  you  last  ran  across  when  you 
were  down  in  Mexico?  Rob,  he's  up  to  his  old 
tricks  of  trying  to  steal  what  belongs  to  others. 
Say,  this  is  one  of  the  biggest  surprises  that  ever 
came  our  way.  Old  Hiram  Applegate's  bad  boy, 
and  a  common  hotel  thief  I" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION 


CHAPTER   XIX. 
AN  ENEMY  OF  THE  PAST. 

They  all  recognized  Jared  now,  although  he 
had  grown  considerably  since  last  Rob  had  seen 
him,  and  was  a  husky  looking  fellow,  easily  ca- 
pable of  doing  a  man's  work. 

In  other  days  he  had  been  a  thorn  in  the  flesh 
of  the  newly  organized  troop  of  scouts  in  Hamp- 
ton, doing  every  mean  thing  his  wits  could  de- 
vise in  order  to  annoy  them.  Then,  later  on, 
when  some  of  the  boys  had  visited  the  Panama 
Canal,  in  process  of  being  dug  at  the  time,  they 
ran  across  this  same  young  reprobate,  and  found 
him  associated  with  a  number  of  desperate  for- 
eigners who  were  trying  to  blow  up  the  locks  of 
the  canal  in  order  to  effect  the  ruination  of  the 
whole  grand  project  to  unite  the  two  oceans 
across  the  isthmus. 

Still  later,  Rob  had  run  across  Jared  down  in 
Mexico,  where  he  was  having  a  hard  time  of  it, 
having  joined  forces  with  some  of  the  rival  war- 


S38  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ring  elements  that  at  the  time  were  smashing 
things  right  and  left.  Whatever  became  of 
Jared,  Rob  had  never  learned,  nor  had  he  both- 
ered himself  very  much  over  the  disappearance 
of  the  unscrupulous  young  rascal. 

And  now,  to  find  him  trying  to  steal  things 
from  their  baggage,  was  enough  to  make  them 
believe  the  world  was  a  pretty  small  affair  after 
all.  Of  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  in 
San  Francisco  it  was  certainly  queer  that  Jared, 
their  old-time  enemy,  should  be  the  one  to  at- 
tempt this  thing. 

"What's  this  checkered  jumper  he's  wearing 
mean  ?"  remarked  Andy,  when  he  could  find  his 
breath,  which  had  really  been  taken  away  by  the 
astonishing  discovery. 

"Looks  like  Jared  might  be  doing  some  honest 
work  at  last,"  added  Hiram.  "Else  he's  just  put 
it  on  to  make  people  believe  he  belongs  here  in 
the  hotel." 

"No,  no,  that  isn't  so,  Hiram!"  hastily  cried 
the  wretched  Jared.  "I'm  really  a  sort  of  porter 
here,  you  see.  I  fetch  trunks  up  to  guests'  rooms, 
and  all  that.  Mebbe  you  didn't  know  it,  but  I 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  223 

brought  that  steamer  trunk  of  yours  here  when 
you  were  out.  That's  how  I  got  my  first  knowl- 
edge some  of  my  old  schoolmates  had  come  on 
to  the  Fair,  because  I  read  the  name  of  Robert 
Blake  on  the  same,  and  Hampton,  L.  I.,  ditto." 

"Oh!"  said  Andy,  "and  you  felt  so  warmly 
drawn  to  your  old  schoolmates,  Jared,  didn't  you, 
that  you  just  couldn't  resist  sneaking  up  here 
when  they  were  out,  and  rooting  all  through 
their  baggage  in  hopes  of  picking  up  a  wind- 
fall?" 

The  wretched  Jared  groaned  in  a  way  that 
told  how  badly  he  felt,  not  because  he  repented 
for  anything  he  had  done,  as  Rob  well  knew,  but 
on  account  of  having  had  the  ill-fortune  to  be 
caught  in  the  act.  That  was  what  pinched  the 
most,  though  it  was  not  to  be  expected  he  would 
admit  as  much;  for  Jared  had  always  been  one 
of  those  tricky,  whining,  cowardly  fellows  who 
make  big  promises  when  in  trouble,  but  forget 
all  about  them  as  soon  as  the  w^ind  blows  fair. 

"I'm  just  sick  to  get  back  home  again,  and 
that's  the  truth,  I  give  you  my  word  it  is,  Rob!" 
he  said,  trying  to  appear  very  dejected  and  hum- 


224  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ble,  because  he  knew  from  past  experiences  that 
this  was  the  best  way  to  work  upon  the  sympa- 
thies of  these  good-hearted  former  school  com- 
panions. 

"And  ready  to  rob  us  so  as  to  get  the  money 
to  take  you  there,  you  mean,  don't  you,  Jared?" 
Rob  demanded. 

"Oh,  it  was  wicked,  I  realize  that  now,  but 
everything  has  been  against  me  out  here," 
whined  the  one  who  lay  on  his  back  on  the  floor. 
"I  get  to  thinking  of  the  folks  at  home  on  Long 
Island  and  it  seems  I  would  go  crazy  I  want  to 
get  back  there  so  bad  again.  If  I  ever  do,  I'm 
meanin'  to  be  a  different  feller  than  in  the  past. 
I've  had  my  lesson,  Rob;  I've  been  kicked  around 
like  a  dog  till  I  came  to  hate  nearly  everybody 
that  lived.  But  if  I  could  only  have  one  more 
chance  I'd  try  awful  hard  to  make  good,  sure  I 
would.  Oh,  I  hope  you'll  believe  me,  Rob  Blake !" 

Now  Rob,  through  so  many  dealings  with  this 
treacherous  fellow  in  the  past,  had  lost  all  faith 
in  his  possessing  the  least  trait  of  decency  in  his 
composition.  In  most  bad  boys  with  whom  Rob 
had  ever  had  anything  to  do  he  could  discover 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  225 

some  sign  of  decency,  even  though  it  required 
considerable  searching  to  find  it;  but  upon  Jared 
he  had  come  to  look  as  worthless. 

All  these  promises  Rob  believed  were  only 
made  with  one  idea  in  view,  and  this  a  wild  de- 
sire to  escape  the  punishment  he  so  richly  de- 
served. 

Caught  hiding  under  the  bed  after  their  effects 
had  been  searched  and  thrown  recklessly  around, 
Jared  must  certainly  be  treated  as  a  common 
thief  if  arrested,  and  the  management  of  the 
hotel  would  take  great  satisfaction  in  prosecut- 
ing him  if  only  to  discourage  other  employees 
from  copying  his  example. 

"Let  him  sit  up,  boys!"  the  scout  leader  told 
the  two  who  had  been  pinning  both  of  Jared's 
arms  to  the  floor. 

They  did  as  Rob  requested,  but  from  the  way 
in  which  Andy  and  Hiram  seemed  to  watch  the 
culprit,  meanwhile  holding  themselves  in  com- 
plete readiness  to  hurl  their  weight  upon  him  at 
the  first  show  of  aggressive  action  on  his  part, 
it  was  evident  that  they  attached  small  impor- 
tance to  his  claim  of  repentance. 


226  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

Rob  hardly  knew  what  to  do.  They  had  no 
reason  to  think  well  of  this  scamp  who,  in  the 
past,  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  do  them  an  ill 
turn,  whether  in  the  home  town  on  the  shore  of 
Long  Island,  down  at  Panama,  or  upon  the  wide 
plains  of  Mexico.  In  Rob's  mind  there  was  no 
shadow  of  belief  with  regard  to  that  promise  of 
reformation,  or  the  gnawing  desire  to  return 
home. 

Still,  so  far  as  they  knew,  nothing  had  been 
stolen,  so  that  there  was  no  real  reason  why  they 
should  sink  so  low  as  to  want  to  revenge  them- 
selves on  Jared. 

He  certainly  presented  a  most  pitiable  object 
as  he  sat  there  and  turned  his  anxious  eyes  from 
one  face  to  another  of  the  four  boys  with  whom 
he  had  gone  to  school  for  years,  and  who  now 
held  his  fate  in  their  hands. 

"If  I  got  anything,  Rob,  I  meant  to  make  it 
up  to  you  later  on  when  I  could  earn  the  money," 
he  was  saying  again,  mistaking  that  serious  look 
on  Rob's  face  and  fearful  that  he  meant  to  turn 
him  over  to  the  police.  "I'm  ready  to  go  back 
to  the  farm  and  work  it  with  the  old  man.  This 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  227 

thing  of  knockin'  about  the  world  ain't  all  it's 
cracked  up  to  be,  and  I'm  dead  tired  of  going 
hungry  half  the  time.  Let  me  off,  Rob,  won't 
you,  please?  It'd  nigh  'bout  kill  the  old  woman 
if  she  learned  I'd  been  caught  tryin'  to  steal  from 
my  schoolmates." 

Like  all  cowards,  Jared,  when  he  found  him- 
self face  to  face  with  the  consequences  of  his 
folly,  was  ready  to  play  the  part  of  the  prodigal 
son,  and  bring  in  his  parents  as  a  reason  why 
he  should  escape  punishment.  Rob  and  the  other 
scouts  knew  his  mother  and  father,  and  while 
they  had  no  reason  to  respect  Farmer  Applegate, 
still  the  fact  that  Jared  was  his  son  and  must 
have  almost  broken  the  hearts  of  his  people  at 
home,  was  bound  to  influence  Rob. 

"Get  up,  Jared !"  said  the  scout  leader,  shortly. 

Andy  gave  a  grunt  of  displeasure.  He  could 
guess  what  Rob  was  about  to  do,  and  felt  like 
expressing  his  disgust,  though  it  was  seldom  any 
of  the  boys  ventured  to  differ  with  Rob,  such 
confidence  did  they  have  in  his  long-headed  poli- 
cies. 

Hiram  simply  contented  himself  with  shrug- 


228  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ging  his  shoulders.  If  Rob  considered  it  best 
that  they  let  the  contemptible  sneak  thief  off,  af- 
ter catching  him  in  the  very  act  as  it  were,  well, 
it  must  be  all  right.  Scouts  were  taught  that 
when  a  foe  was  on  his  back  and  begging  for 
mercy  they  must  not  be  too  hard-hearted.  Jared 
was  deceiving  them,  Hiram  felt  sure  of  that,  but 
after  all  why  should  they  bother  with  punish- 
ing him  any  further? 

"Are  you  meanin'  to  let  me  go,  Rob?"  qua- 
vered the  fellow,  as  he  managed  to  get  upon  his 
feet,  with  the  four  scouts  clustered  around  him. 

"Yes,  because  we  haven't  lost  anything 
through  you  as  far  as  we  can  find  out,"  the  scout 
leader  told  him,  at  which  Jared's  face  lost  some 
of  its  strained  look,  and  Andy  thought  he  caught 
some  of  the  old-time  crafty  gleam  in  his  shifting 
eyes. 

"I  give  you  my  word  for  it,  Rob,  I  never  took 
a  single  living  thing,"  he  hastened  to  say. 

"Well,  we'll  make  sure  of  that  by  taking  a 
look  through  your  pockets!"  declared  Rob, 
sternly.  "You  don't  seem  to  like  that,  do  you? 
But  make  up  your  mind  that  if  you  start  to  show 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  229 

the  first  sign  of  resistance  we'll  not  only  pile  on 
you,  but  hand  you  over  to  the  police  afterward 
without  listening  to  any  more  promises.  Andy, 
you  tap  his  pockets,  and  see  what  he's  got." 

Andy  did  not  hesitate  an  instant;  indeed,  to 
see  the  way  he  started  in  one  might  believe  this 
was  an  avocation  with  the  scout,  and  that  he  had 
been  employed  a  long  time  at  police  headquar- 
ters searching  the  pockets  of  prisoners  before 
they  were  thrust  into  cells. 

A  number  of  things  were  brought  to  light, 
which  did  not  possess  any  particular  interest  for 
the  scouts.  When,  however,  from  an  inside 
pocket  Andy  drew  a  roll  of  bills,  fastened  with  a 
rubber  band,  Tubby  was  heard  to  give  a  "whee !" 
and  Hiram  nudged  Rob  in  the  side  as  if  to  say: 
"See  how  he  yarned  when  he  vowed  he  wanted 
to  get  back  on  the  farm,  but  didn't  have  the  rail- 
road fare  East!" 

Andy  deliberately  proceeded  to  count  the  con- 
tents of  the  roll,  while  the  wretched  owner  fol- 
lowed his  every  move,  as  though  he  feared  that 
by  some  hocus-pocus  or  sleight  of  hand  process, 
with  which  he  himself  was  possibly  familiar, 


230  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

some  of  the  money  might  take  wings  and  fly 
away. 

"Just  ninety-seven  dollars  here,  Rob!"  an- 
nounced Andy. 

"Yes,  that's  right/'  declared  Jared,  cringing 
before  Rob's  look,  "and  I  earned  every  cent  of 
that  roll  by  honest  days'  labor,  every  cent  of  it. 
I  thought  I  needed  just  a  little  more  to  see  me 
through  all  the  way  East.  I  was  told  it'd  take 
about — say  a  hundred  and  ten  clear.  But  I  c'n 
wait  now  till  I  get  my  next  wages.  I  was  a  silly 
fool  to  think  to  rob  my  old  pals  of  the  days  in 
Hampton." 

"You  never  said  truer  words  than  those, 
Jared/'  Rob  told  him,  plainly,  but  with  a  feeling 
that  nothing  the  other  declared  would  be  be- 
lieved under  oath,  for  truth  and  Jared  Apple- 
gate  had  never  been  friends. 

"But,  Rob,  I  hope  now  you  ain't  a-goin'  to 
keep  any  of  my  cash  roll,  or  hand  it  over  to  the 
manager  of  the  hotel.  I've  been  working  here 
quite  some  time  now,  and  they  treat  me  white 
so  I'd  hate  to  get  bounced  when  I'm  so  near 
makin'  up  the  amount  I  need.  It's  all  clean 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  231 

money,  Rob,  you  believe  me,  don't  you?  Look 
at  my  hands  and  see  how  calloused  they  are  ? 
That's  a  pretty  good  sign,  I  take  it,  that  I  ain't 
been  layin'  around,  or  playin'  cards  like  I  used 
to." 

He  had  certainly  been  doing  some  sort  of  hard 
labor,  though  Rob  was  rather  inclined  to  believe 
Jared  must  have  been  working  in  the  mines  with 
pick  and  shovel,  and  had  only  come  to  the  city 
when  driven  out  of  the  camp  because  of  some 
crooked  doings. 

"You  shouldn't  judge  everybody  by  your  own 
standard,  Jared,"  he  told  the  other.  "None  of 
us  could  be  hired  to  take  a  single  cent  of  yours, 
no  matter  how  you  got  the  money,  which  is  no 
affair  of  ours.  Give  it  back  to  him,  Andy;  and 
I  guess  you've  searched  enough  to  satisfy  us  he 
is  carrying  away  nothing  that  belongs  to  us." 

Jared  clutched  the  money  as  might  a  miser, 
and  hastened  to  stow  it  away  again. 

"And  you  mean  me  to  go,  <ion't  you,  Rob?  I 
take  it  you're  too  high-minded  to  want  to  have 
revenge  on  a  poor  devil  who's  down  in  the  world, 
even  if  he  has  done  you  dirt  in  the  past.  Say  I 


232  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

c'n  skip  out,  won't  you,  Rob?  I'm  a  changed 
boy,  I  tell  you;  and  you'll  never  be  sorry  you 
acted  white  with  me!" 

"Open  the  door,  Tubby,"  said  Rob,  and  the 
fat  scout  did  so,  though  with  apparent  reluc- 
tance, for  Tubby  did  not  have  the  slightest  faith 
in  Jared' s  wonderful  reformation,  and  thought 
he  ought  to  be  punished  in  some  way. 

"Now  go,  and  I  only  hope  we  never  set  eyes 
on  you  again,  Jared  Applegate.  Only  for  the 
fact  that  you've  already  brought  enough  trouble 
on  the  heads  of  your  folks  at  home  I'd  be  in  fa- 
vor of  handing  you  over  to  the  police  to  deal 
with.  Hurry  up  and  leave  before  I  change  my 
mind." 

Jared  did  not  linger  a  second  longer  than  he 
could  help.  He  gave  each  of  the  three  scouts  a 
look,  and  although  he  tried  to  appear  grateful, 
they  could  see  that  there  was  the  same  old  crafty 
gleam  in  his  eyes  as  though  deep  down  in  his 
heart  there  existed  not  a  trace  of  the  desire  to 
reform  of  which  his  lips  had  boasted.  Passing 
through  the  open  door,  he  vanished  from  their 
sight. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  233 

CHAPTER   XX. 

LOTS  OF  EXCITEMENT. 

After  all  that  excitement,  Tubby  could  not 
immediately  tear  himself  away  from  his  chums. 

"Why,  seems  as  if  all  the  sleep  had  been 
chased  out  of  my  eyes !"  he  declared,  as  he  once 
more  composedly  sat  down;  and  of  course  a  gen- 
eral discussion  took  place  in  connection  with 
their  past  experiences  with  Jared  Applegate. 

In  the  end  they  had  to  fairly  pry  Tubby  away 
from  that  chair,  and  put  him  out  of  the  door,  in 
a  friendly  scuffle;  he  protesting  to  the  last  that 
as  he  had  no  expectation  of  getting  a  wink  of 
sleep  that  night,  there  was  no  need  of  hurrying. 

"Why,  it's  half-past  eleven  right  now,"  Andy 
told  him.  "We'll  be  a  nice  lot  of  blinking  owls 
to-morrow  unless  we  hit  the  hay  in  a  hurry.  You 
come  back  when  you  promised,  and  join  the 
bunch.  Good-night,  Tubby!" 

With  that  the  door  was  closed,  and  of  course 
the  unwilling  Tubby  found  there  was  no  use  try- 


234  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ing  to  change  the  program;  so  he  headed  for  the 
elevator,  smothering  a  tremendous  yawn  by  the 
way. 

He  made  his  appearance  promptly  on  time 
when  morning  came,  and  they  started  for  the  Ex- 
position grounds  in  a  squad,  all  of  them  filled 
with  lively  anticipations  of  another  great  day  of 
sight-seeing. 

Of  course  the  most  anxious  one  of  the  com- 
pany was  Hiram.  His  business  had  not  as  yet 
come  to  a  focus,  and  he  was  not  at  all  certain 
how  it  might  turn  out.  The  others  did  not  wish 
to  hurry  him  unduly,  for  they  knew  Hiram  to 
be  very  set  in  his  ways;  but  at  the  same  time 
they  gave  him  plain  hints  that  he  would  be  un- 
wise to  wait  too  long. 

"They're  expecting  me  any  day  now,"  Hiram 
had  explained  in  answer  to  these  remonstrances, 
"'and  I'm  just  keepin'  'em  on  the  fence,  you  see. 
When  I  kinder  guess  the  time's  ripe  I'll  drop  in 
on  the  company  and  tell  'em  who  I  happen  to 
be." 

"Hiram  means  he's  engineering  a  sort  of  cli- 
max," explained  Andy;  "but  the  rest  of  us  will 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  235 

be  as  mad  as  hops  if  he  pulls  the  thing  off  with- 
out giving  us  a  chance  to  see  the  fun." 

"You  wouldn't  be  so  mean  as  that,  I  hope, 
Hiram?"  pleaded  Tubby. 

"What  d'ye  take  me  for?"  the  other  had  ex- 
claimed, in  seeming  indignation.  "Guess  I  ought 
to  know  what  my  duty  to  my  chums  is.  You'll 
all  have  front  seats  on  the  band  wagon  when  the 
music  begins.  Consider  that  as  good  as  settled, 
Tubby.  I'm  having  an  extra  big  chair  fixed  for 
you,  too,  so  you'll  be  comfy." 

Tubby  beamed  his  gratitude,  and  as  they  had 
arrived  at  the  turnstile  by  that  time  the  subject 
was  dropped. 

It  was  decided  that  they  should  keep  together, 
for  a  while  at  least,  though  anyone  could  see 
that  Hiram  was  wild  to  hurry  over  to  where  the 
Golden  Gate  Aviation  Supply  Company  had  its 
headquarters  adjoining  the  field  where  the  air- 
ships gave  frequent  exhibitions. 

The  crowd  had  not  begun  to  make  itself  felt 
as  yet,  so  that  they  found  splendid  opportuni- 
ties to  inspect  numerous  things  that  attracted 


236  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

their  attention  in  some  of  the  many  immense 
Fair  buildings. 

An  hour  was  spent  among  the  pictures  in  the 
art  building.  Rob  enjoyed  this,  for  he  was  very 
fond  of  paintings,  and  at  some  future  date  he 
meant  to  put  in  a  whole  morning  here. 

Tubby  soon  tired  of  it,  and  as  for  Hiram  it 
seemed  to  be  pretty  much  of  a  bore.  One  whose 
heart  and  mind  were  wrapped  up  with  all  sorts 
of  inventions  could  not  be  expected  to  content 
himself  gazing  upon  works  of  art;  they  were  too 
tame  for  his  spirit ;  what  Hiram  delighted  in  was 
the  whirr  of  machinery,  the  clack  of  the  aero- 
plane propeller,  and  kindred  objects  that  meant 
real  work  for  him. 

Just  how  it  happened  that  about  the  middle 
of  the  morning  they  found  themselves  once  more 
treading  the  devious  ways  of  the  Amusement 
Zone  neither  Rob  nor  Tubby  nor  Hiram  could 
somehow  understand.  They  dimly  suspected, 
however,  that  the  artful  Andy  must  have  man- 
aged to  coax  them  in  that  quarter  under  a  spe- 
cious plea  that  he  wanted  to  show  them  some- 
thing wonderful. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  23? 

The  first  thing  they  knew  they  were  seated  in 
chairs  on  the  moving  platform,  and  viewing  the 
scenery  along  the  stretch  of  the  Panama  Canal, 
which  had  a  very  realistic  look  for  those  who 
had  been  there  themselves. 

Each  chair  had  a  dictaphone  attachment  con- 
nected with  the  arm,  and  by  applying  this  in 
the  proper  manner  to  their  ears  the  occupants 
were  enabled  to  hear  a  description  of  each  sec- 
tion of  the  great  ditch  as  it  was  reached. 

Taken  in  all,  it  was  a  novel  experience,  and 
one  they  enjoyed  very  much;  though  in  the  end 
it  required  the  strength  of  the  other  three  scouts 
to  drag  poor  Tubby  out  of  his  chair,  which  hap- 
pened not  to  have  been  capacious  enough  for  the 
standard  requirements  of  the  fat  boy. 

"Honestly,"  said  Tubby,  in  explanation  of  his 
sticking  so  tight,  "I  believe  some  skunk  went  and 
put  a  piece  of  shoemakers'  wax  in  that  chair; 
and  I  feel  that  I'm  lucky  to  have  saved  the  seat 
of  my  new  khaki  trousers.  If  it  had  been  the 
old  ones  there's  no  telling  what  might  have  hap- 
pened." 

"H'm!  a  poor  excuse  is  better  than  none,  they 


238  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

say,"  muttered  Andy;  "but  seems  like  instead 
of  calling  these  chairs  comfortable  they  might 
have  added  that  they  were  the  'Fat  Man's  Mis- 
ery/ But  forget  it,  Tubby;  you're  safe  and 
sound  again,  breeches  and  all.  Come  on  and  see 
what  there  is  in  this  Bedouin  Camp.  The  camels 
look  like  it  ought  to  be  a  heap  interesting/' 

The  others  were  not  as  much  taken  with  the 
show  as  Andy.  To  him  it  was  all  real,  and 
breathed  the  atmosphere  of  the  desert  and  the 
traders'  caravan;  but  Rob  saw  how  much  was 
tinsel  and  make-believe,  and  really  suspected  that 
some  of  the  so-called  Arabs  talked  among  them- 
selves in  pretty  fair  English. 

It  happened  that  shortly  after  they  had  issued 
from  this  concession,  and  Hiram  was  commenc- 
ing to  show  signs  of  uneasiness,  as  though  want- 
ing to  be  off,  something  came  to  pass  that  for  the 
time  being  made  them  forget  their  plans. 

"Hey!  what's  all  that  running  about  over 
there?"  suddenly  exclaimed  Andy.  "Mebbe 
there's  goin'  to  be  an  Oriental  elopement  or  a 
wedding?  Let's  hurry  over  and  get  in  line  to 
see!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  239 

"More'n  like  a  dog-fight,"  grumbled  Hiram; 
"for  I've  noticed  that  in  some  of  these  squalid 
villages  of  foreigners  they  have  some  ugly  yel- 
low curs  hanging  around,  which  I  should  think 
the  Fair  people  wouldn't  stand  for." 

All  the  same,  Hiram  ran  as  fast  as  his  mates 
to  see  what  was  going  on.  They  made  a  dis- 
covery before  they  were  more  than  half  way  to 
the  spot.  Indeed,  the  loud  outcries  borne  to  their 
ears,  as  well  as  the  smoke  that  came  from  a 
building  where  the  signs  indicated  that  a  cele- 
brated Egyptian  fortune-teller  could  be  con- 
sulted, made  this  very  manifest. 

"Wheel  it's  a  fire!"  gurgled  Tubby,  who  was 
puffing  very  hard  in  his  effort  not  to  be  left  in 
the  lurch  by  his  more  agile  companions. 

The  excitement  can  be  easily  imagined  in  that 
always  thronged  section  of  the  Exposition 
grounds.  Scores  of  persons,  many  of  them  tur- 
baned  Arabs,  Turks  with  red  fezzes  on  their 
heads,  or  other  foreigners  were  rushing  this  way 
and  that,  all  wildly  shouting,  and  wringing 
their  hands  as  though  they  expected  that  a  dread- 


24:0  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ful  misfortune  threatened  that  part  of  the 
Amusement  Zone. 

The  gayly-dressed  fortune-tellers  were  appar- 
ently up  against  a  hard  proposition.  They  could 
pretend  to  tell  what  the  future  held  for  others, 
but  apparently  had  not  been  able  to  foresee  such 
a  common  everyday  occurrence  as  their  booth 
taking  fire. 

No  one  seemed  to  be  thinking  of  trying  to  do 
anything.  The  authorities  of  the  Fair  had  pro- 
vided arrangements  for  such  accidents,  and  in 
due  time,  doubtless,  the  fire  company  would  dash 
upon  the  scene,  ready  to  pour  a  stream  of  water 
on  the  flames. 

But  seconds  count  when  fire  is  seizing  hold  of 
flimsy  curtains  and  woodwork.  A  minute  or  two 
in  the  commencement  of  a  conflagration  means 
that  it  may  be  smothered  before  it  gets  a  firm 
clutch  on  the  building. 

Rob  possibly  remembered  what  had  happened 
on  that  Long  Island  bay  at  the  time  he  and  Andy 
saved  the  naphtha  launch  owned  by  old  Cap. 
Jerry. 

Just  then  he  discovered  a  couple  of  local  scouts 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  241 

hurrying  up.  They  were  small  lads,  and  might 
hardly  know  what  was  to  be  done  in  such  an 
emergency.  Rob  seized  hold  of  the  first  one. 

"Tell  me,  do  you  know  where  the  nearest  fire 
extinguisher  is  fastened;  I  remember  seeing 
some  around  the  grounds  here?" 

No  sooner  had  Rob  put  this  question  to  the 
small  scout  than  his  face  lighted  up  eagerly. 

"That's  the  ticket!"  he  exclaimed,  shrilly.  "I 
knew  there  was  something  a  fellow  ought  to  do ! 
Why,  yes,  there's  one  right  back  yonder,  mister. 
All  you  got  to  do  is  to  grab  it  off  the  stand  and 
get  busy.  I  know  where  another  is  further  on !" 

With  that  he  darted  off,  followed  by  his  com- 
panion. Rob  had  not  even  waited  to  hear  all 
that  was  said.  He  had  his  eye  on  that  little  ex- 
tinguisher immediately,  and  was  leaping  toward 
it,  followed  by  the  gaze  of  his  admiring  chums. 

Why,  it  seemed  almost  no  time  at  all  before 
the  scout  leader  had  wrenched  the  extinguisher 
loose.  His  first  thought  was  that  luck  favored 
him  because  lo!  and  behold  it  chanced  to  be  one 
of  the  same  pattern  he  always  carried  aboard  his 


242  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

little  motorboat,  to  provide  against  a  catastrophe 
by  fire. 

Thus  armed  and  equipped,  Rob  started  into 
the  small  building  from  which  the  dense  clouds 
of  smoke  issued,  and  amidst  which  tongues  of 
angry  flame  were  to  be  seen. 

Andy,  Hiram  and  Tubby  followed  close  on  his 
heels.  They  had  nothing  with  which  to  fight  the 
fire,  but  somehow  seemed  to  consider  it  a  part  of 
their  duty  to  back  their  energetic  leader  up  to  the 
full  limit  of  their  capacity. 

It  was,  after  all,  nothing  of  moment,  once  Rob 
got  the  little  stream  started  on  the  flames.  The 
fire  had  not  gained  sufficient  headway  to  make 
a  stubborn  resistance  of  it,  and  inside  of  three 
minutes  Rob  had  it  entirely  subdued. 

"Back  out,  fellows ;  it's  all  over !"  he  managed 
to  exclaim,  though  half  choked  by  the  penetrat- 
ing smoke. 

Just  as  the  scouts  came  out,  and  by  their  smiles 
assured  everybody  that  there  no  longer  remained 
a  spark  to  endanger  the  neighboring  flimsy  struc- 
tures, the  fire  squad  came  hustling  up.  Of 
course  there  was  a  perfect  mob  gathered  by  this 


I  a  side  of  three  minutes  Rob  had  it  entirely  subdued.— 
Page  242. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  243 

time,  and  Rob  found  it  hard  work  to  try  and 
make  his  way  through. 

The  man  in  charge  of  the  fire-fighters  hunted 
the  scouts  up  and  insisted  on  shaking  hands  with 
them,  a  procedure  that  many  in  the  crowd  copied, 
greatly  to  the  displeasure  of  Rob,  though  Tubby 
and  the  others  did  not  seem  to  mind  it  in  the 
least. 

One  alert  young  fellow,  who  announced  that 
he  was  a  reporter  on  a  San  Francisco  daily,  tried 
his  best  to  get  an  interview  with  Rob,  who  posi- 
tively declined  to  say  anything  except  that  they 
were  scouts  from  Long  Island. 

As  this  persistent  newspaperman  kept  after 
them,  and  was  seen  in  eager  conversation  with 
Tubby  in  the  rear,  it  might  be  taken  for  granted 
that  the  fat  scout  was  of  a  different  mind  from 
Rob.  Trust  Tubby  to  "blow  the  horn"  good  and 
strong,  especially  when  he  could  sing  the  praises 
of  one  he  cared  for  as  much  as  he  did  for  Rob 
Blake. 

"Seems  like  things  keep  on  happening  wher- 
ever we  go,"  said  Andy,  after  they  had  finally 


244  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

managed  to  shake  off  the  last  of  the  curious 
crowd,  and  retreated  to  another  part  of  the  Zone. 

"It's  lucky  for  some  people  that  such  is  the 
case,"  asserted  Tubby,  promptly.  "If  we  hadn't 
happened  to  be  around  I  reckon  that  fortune- 
teller's place  would  have  been  burned  to  the 
ground.  Some  time  we  may  be  sorry  we  both- 
ered with  it.  They're  all  a  lot  of  fakes,  say  what 
you  will." 

Andy  chuckled  audibly  at  hearing  that  remark. 

"You  mustn't  mind  Tubby,  fellows,"  he  said, 
pretending  to  whisper,  though  he  knew  the  fat 
scout  could  hear  every  wrord  plainly ;  "ever  since 
that  time  we  were  down  at  Coney  Island,  and  a 
woman  seeress  there  told  him  he  had  a  glorious 
future  as  the  world's  most  famous  fat  man, 
Tubby  has  been  sore  on  the  craft.  Now,  that 
same  wise  woman  told  me  I  was  going  to  be 
the  greatest  traveler  since  Livingstone's  time. 
She  read  my  longings  and  aspirations,  and  I 
often  think  she  could  lift  the  curtain  and  see  into 
the  future." 

"Aw!  you're  silly  if  you  believe  a  single  word 
they  say!"  burst  out  Tubby,  with  wrath  and  in- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  245 

dignation;  but  in  less  than  two  minutes  he  was 
as  amiable  as  ever;  the  unpleasant  incident  was 
forgotten;  for  Tubby  could  not  stay  out  of  hu- 
mor long,  and  as  Hiram  was  accustomed  to  say- 
ing, "trouble  and  anger  slipped  from  Tubby  just 
like  water  does  from  a  duck's  back!" 

More  people  were  coming  as  the  morning  pro- 
gressed, though  the  crowds  would  not  begin  to 
compare  with  those  that  the  afternoon  and  even- 
ing would  bring;  when  the  band  concerts  were  an 
added  attraction,  with  numerous  other  events  go- 
ing on  in  every  direction,  until  one  would  wish 
they  could  have  a  thousand  eyes  and  ears  so  as 
not  to  miss  anything. 

Rob  was  tired  of  the  scenes  in  the  Amusement 
Zone,  and  ready  to  suggest  that  all  of  them  make 
a  change  of  base,  though  he  knew  it  would  not 
be  an  easy  task  to  tear  Andy  away  from  the 
sights  his  heart  yearned  to  keep  in  contact  with. 

"There's  one  of  the  yellow  curs  we  saw  in 
that  Indian  village,"  remarked  Tubby;  "and 
some  boys  are  plaguing  the  life  half  out  of  him 
by  throwing  sticks,  and  trying  to  round  him  up. 
He  must  have  broken  loose  from  the  enclosure 


246  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

where  he  was  confined,  and  don't  know  how  to 
get  back  again.  Look  at  the  way  he  acts,  will 
you?  They'd  better  go  slow,  or  he'll  bite  one  of 
those  sillies!  Oh,  look  at  him  snapping,  will 
you,  Rob?  Makes  me  think  of  the  mad  dog  that 
ran  through  our  town  last " 

"Stop  that  talk,  Tubby!"  ordered  Rob,  sternly; 
but  apparently  it  was  too  late,  for  some  one  gave 
a  shout,  and  like  magic  the  cry  was  taken  up  un- 
til dozens  of  frightened  voices  sent  it  rolling 
along  the  street  of  the  Zone : 

"Mad  dog !  mad  dog !  run  for  your  lives,  every- 
body!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  247 

CHAPTER   XXL 

THE  MAD  DOG  PANIC. 

No  more  dreadful  cry  can  be  imagined  than 
the  one  the  four  scouts  now  heard  rising  all 
around  them.  It  made  many  faces  turn  deathly 
white,  and  there  was  a  hasty  flight  on  the  part  of 
the  more  timid  in  order  to  gain  the  shelter  of  the 
adjoining  walls  of  the  booths. 

Some  boys  and  men  also  remained,  and  com- 
menced to  pelt  the  wretched  cur  still  further  with 
stones,  sticks,  or  anything  they  could  lay  hands 
on,  meanwhile  keeping  up  more  or  less  wild 
shouting. 

"The  fools !"  exclaimed  Rob,  indignantly; 
"that  dog  is  no  more  mad  than  I  am ;  but  they're 
doing  everything  they  can  to  make  him  so.  He's 
already  scared  half  out  of  his  head  with  all  those 
things  being  shied  at  him.  He  snarls  and  snaps 
because  he's  at  bay,  and  the  old  wolf  nature 
shows  then.  All  he  wants  is  to  get  back  home 
somehow !" 


THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

The  clamor  grew  in  violence  as  new  voices 
joined  in.  Those  who  came  running  up,  always 
eager  to  see  whatever  was  going  on,  began  to 
hurl  things  at  the  cringing  yellow  cur  flattened 
against  the  wall;  though  when  the  poor  beast 
once  started  toward  them  it  was  amazing  to  see 
how  the  mob  melted  away,  men  falling  over  each 
other  in  their  frantic  fear  of  being  bitten. 

Rob  was  growing  more  and  more  indignant. 
He  tried  to  speak  to  some  of  those  nearest  him, 
but  he  might  as  well  have  tried  to  stop  the  flow 
of  Niagara  for  all  the  effect  his  words  of  ex- 
postulation had  upon  the  shouters. 

Women  and  children  were  shrieking  in  fright, 
even  though  they  were  apparently  safe  in  the 
various  buildings  that  lined  the  sunny  street  of 
the  Zone. 

"I  just  can't  stand  for  this  racket !"  the  others 
heard  Rob  say,  as  he  suddenly  left  them  and 
sprang  forward. 

Immediately  loud  voices  called  out,  some  warn- 
ing him  not  to  be  rash,  and  others  applauding  his 
daring,  for  it  is  always  so  easy  to  stand  back  and 
clap  hands  when  some  one  is  taking  the  chances. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  249 

"Oh!  what  does  Rob  mean  to  do?"  cried 
Tubby,  who  had  seen  the  mad  dog  killed  in  the 
main  street  of  Hampton  the  previous  summer, 
and  had  a  perfect  horror  of  being  brought  into 
personal  contact  with  any  animal  suffering  from 
the  rabies. 

"He  isn't  intending  to  try  and  grab  the  beast !" 
explained  Hiram.  "Rob  knows  better  than  that, 
even  if  the  dog  is  only  scared,  and  not  mad.  It 
would  bite  him  just  as  quick,  I  guess,  as  if  it  was 
rabid.  Watch  and  see  what  his  game  is,  fellows ; 
Rob  knows  what  he's  about,  you'd  better  be- 
lieve!" 

Every  eye  was  centered  on  the  form  of  the 
boy  as  he  advanced  toward  the  cowering  dog. 
Rob  was  snapping  his  fingers,  and  acting  as 
friendly  as  he  could,  wishing  to  assure  the  beast 
he  had  no  hostile  motive  in  approaching.  This 
he  did  in  order  to  keep  the  frenzied  and  tortured 
dog  from  jumping  at  him  before  he  could  man- 
age to  put  his  little  plan  into  operation. 

At  least  it  held  the  attention  of  the  dog,  though 
the  animal  suspected  the  genuine  nature  of  his 


^  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

advance,  and  cowered  there  watching  him,  still 
snarling  viciously. 

It  required  considerable  nerve  to  keep  on  in 
spite  of  the  increasing  growls  of  the  dog  at  bay. 
Rob  was  ready  to  act  in  case  the  beast  did  spring 
toward  him,  for  he  certainly  had  no  intention  of 
allowing  its  jaws  to  come  in  contact  with  his  flesh. 

Most  of  the  shouting  had  died  out  by  now. 
Everybody  was  watching  with  held  breath  to 
see  what  that  venturesome  boy  in  khaki  would 
attempt.  Many  doubtless  believed,  as  they  stared 
with  distended  eyes,  that  Rob  actually  meant  to 
grapple  with  the  animal  and  throttle  it. 

"It's  a  burning  shame  to  let  a  boy  try  what 
men  might  have  done  I"  one  white-faced  woman 
near  the  other  scouts  was  heard  to  say ;  and  they 
could  readily  imagine  that  she  had  boys  of  her 
own  at  home,  of  whom  she  was  doubtless  think- 
ing as  she  watched  Rob  walking  forward  into 
the  danger  zone. 

But  Rob  had  another  scheme  in  view.  Un- 
armed, he  did  not  covet  an  encounter  at  close 
quarters  with  that  yellow  dog,  whether  the 
beast  was  mad  or  only  frenzied  with  fear. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  251 

In  fact,  Rob  meant  to  try  and  cage  him,  if  it 
could  be  worked.  He  believed  that  if  given  a 
chance  the  dog  would  only  too  gladly  slip  in 
through  any  opening  that  seemed  to  offer  him 
a  temporary  refuge  from  all  those  shouting  tor- 
mentors. 

Rob,  in  taking  a  rapid  survey  of  the  situation, 
had  noticed  what  seemed  to  be  a  partly  finished 
booth  which  was  being  erected  for  some  late 
coming  concession  owner.  The  small  building 
was  almost  finished,  and  had  a  door,  which  he 
had  seen  was  ajar,  though  not  fully  open. 

It  was  the  boy's  plan,  made  up  on  the  spur  of 
the  moment,  to  reach  that  door  and  push  it  wide 
open.  Then  in  some  fashion  perhaps  the  fright- 
ened dog  might  be  influenced  to  enter,  when  the 
door  could  be  closed,  and  thus  he  would  be  held 
in  a  trap. 

Perhaps  Rob's  heart  beat  like  a  trip-hammer 
within  him  as  he  came  close  to  that  door,  and 
he  fancied  he  saw  the  dog  starting  to  jump  to- 
ward him.  He  snapped  his  fingers  again  and 
spoke  kindly.  It  may  be  these  expressions  of 
good-will  had  a  little  effect  on  the  beast;  at  any 


252  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

rate  the  advance  movement  was  delayed,  though 
the  vicious  snarling  and  whining  continued. 

Then  Rob  found  that  he  could  stretch  out  his 
hand  and  reach  the  door.  He  started  to  push  it 
open,  though  it  was  no  easy  task. 

Having  accomplished  this  to  his  satisfaction, 
he  began  to  back  away,  still  keeping  his  eyes  on 
the  dog,  and  ready  to  seek  some  friendly  place 
of  safety  in  case  of  necessity. 

The  dog  had  seen  his  action.  It  must  have 
known  that  an  avenue  of  escape  had  been  opened 
up  by  the  pushing  back  of  that  door.  Possibly 
the  poor  beast  anticipated  a  safe  return  to  the 
village  where  it  had  been  at  home  among  its 
kind. 

"Look!  it's  going  to  accept  Rob's  invitation!" 
cried  Tubby,  excitedly. 

"Smart  dog!"  said  Andy;  "he  may  save  his 
bacon  by  that  clever  move." 

"There  he  goes  in;  now  what  d'ye  think  of 
that  for  a  bright  trick?"  Hiram  shouted. 

That  was  just  what  the  badgered  dog  did — 
slipped  along  the  wall  until  it  came  to  the  partly 
open  door,  and  then  vanished  from  view. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  253 

"There  goes  Rob  back!  What's  he  meaning 
to  do  now,  I  wonder  ?"  Tubby  exclaimed,  in  fresh 
consternation. 

"He  wants  to  complete  the  job  by  shutting  the 
door,"  explained  Andy,  who  could  grasp  a  situa- 
tion like  this  much  better  than  the  stout  scout, 
because  his  wits  worked  quicker. 

All  sounds  ceased  again  as  Rob  pushed  along 
the  wall  of  the  new  building  until  he  could  reach 
out  his  hand.  Then  the  door  began  to  close, 
faster  and  faster  until  the  yawning  gap  was  en- 
tirely filled. 

Hardly  had  this  been  done  than  there  arose  a 
deafening  cheer.  Everybody  seemed  to  be  wild 
with  delight,  and  shook  hands  with  one  another 
in  their  excitement.  Now  that  the  terrible  "mad 
dog"  had  been  caged,  plenty  of  weapons  would 
be  remembered;  and  it  would  be  so  easy,  and 
safe,  to  shoot  through  the  windows  of  the  build- 
ing. 

"Let's  get  out  of  this,  fellows!"  said  Rob, 
when  he  managed  to  worm  his  way  through  the 
crush  and  join  his  mates. 

Tubby  frowned  as  though  it  was  against  his 


254  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

principles  to  run  away  when  people  were  want- 
ing to  shake  hands,  and  call  one  a  hero;  but  not 
wanting  to  be  left  behind  the  others,  Tubby  had 
to  go. 

They  had  not  reached  a  point  far  distant  when 
the  report  of  several  firearms  reached  them.  Rob 
shook  his  head  and  frowrned. 

"That's  about  the  silliest  thing  I  ever  ran  up 
against,"  he  said.  "The  dog  was  no  more  mad 
than  Tubby  here  is.  Those  boys  pestered  him, 
and  got  him  scared.  Then  all  that  shouting  and 
waving  of  hands  and  throwing  of  things  at  him 
finished  the  business.  It  was  a  foolish  scare,  and 
I  guess  nine  out  of  ten  mad  dog  hunts  are  in  the 
same  class/' 

"Well,  they've  finished  the  poor  thing  now,  I 
guess !"  ventured  Hiram. 

"It  sounds  like  it  the  way  they're  cheering, 
just  as  if  they've  done  something  mighty  heroic !" 
added  Andy. 

"The  only  thing  worth  a  cheer,"  remarked 
Tubby,  emphatically,  "was  when  our  chum  Rob 
walked  right  at  the  snarling  beast,  and  took  all 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  255 

sorts  of  chances  of  getting  bit  and  clawed  up. 
That  needed  nerve,  let  me  tell  you !" 

"Oh !  not  any  to  speak  of,"  said  the  scout  leader, 
hastily.  "I  made  sure  to  have  my  eye  on  a  shed 
close  by  all  the  while;  and  if  he'd  really  made  a 
jump  for  me  you'd  have  seen  a  mighty  fine  ex- 
hibition of  high  and  lofty  climbing.  Mad  or 
not,  I  wasn't  meaning  to  stay  there  and  tackle 
him,  without  a  thing  to  hit  him  with." 

"But  it  all  worked  well,  as  nearly  always  hap- 
pens with  you,  Rob,"  said  Tubby;  "though  once 
my  heart  seemed  to  be  up  in  my  throat ;  that  was 
when  you  had  to  snap  your  fingers  and  coax  him, 
Rob.  Only  for  that  he'd  have  made  for  you, 
thinking  you  meant  to  strike  him." 

"I'm  glad  it's  over,"  observed  Hiram,  shud- 
dering. 

"That  dog  belonged  to  the  Injuns  we  saw  in 
the  village,"  ventured  Andy,  thoughtfully;  "and 
you  know  Injuns  think  roast  dog  is  the  finest 
dish  ever.  I  expect  they'll  want  to  claim  the  re- 
mains. Little  they'll  bother  about  any  talk  of 
mad  dog;  it's  more  likely  to  be  mad  Injun  when 
they  find  out  what's  happened." 


256  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

And  after  that  they  tried  to  put  the  latest  in- 
cident out  of  their  minds,  though  Tubby  woulc 
explode  some  new  idea  concerning  it  every  onc< 
in  a  while,  as  they  wandered  about  the  Fail 
grounds  taking  in  new  sights. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  257 


CHAPTER   XXII. 
TAKING  IN  THE:  SIGHTS  OF  TH£  FAIR. 

"Well,  he's  gone,  Rob!"  said  Andy,  as  they 
were  coming  out  after  an  hour  spent  in  the  won- 
derful Transportation  Building. 

"Oh,  you  mean  Hiram  ?"  remarked  the  scout 
leader,  after  taking  a  comprehensive  glance 
around.  "Well,  I've  been  expecting  him  to  give 
us  the  slip  for  some  time.  He  held  on  longer 
than  I  thought  he  would." 

"No  trouble  guessing  where  he's  bound  for," 
laughed  Andy.  "That  hall  where  the  latest  mod- 
ern inventions  are  on  exhibition  draws  him  like 
sugar  or  molasses  does  the  pesky  flies  in  sum- 
mer time.  He  sticks  there  nearly  as  hard  as- 
well,  as  Tubby  did  in  that  skimpy  chair  at  the 
Panama  show." 

"Bring  it  nearer  home,  can't  you,  Andy,  and 
say  about  as  well  as  you  want  to  stick  to  that 
Zone  of  freaks  and  flimsies  and  Coney  Island 


258  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

shows/'  ventured  Tubby,  with  singular  quick- 
ness, for  him. 

"I  arranged  it  with  Hiram  to  stay  with  us 
just  as  long  as  he  could  stand  for  it,"  explained 
Rob;  "and  that  when  he  did  feel  he  had  to  go, 
to  call  at  the  little  booth  of  the  tobacconist  where 
we've  arranged  to  meet,  not  later  than  four  this 
afternoon." 

"Remember  that,  you  Andy,"  warned  Tubby, 
shaking  a  fat  finger  in  the  direction  of  the  other, 
"in  case  we  happen  to  get  separated!  Accidents 
will  come  along  sometimes,  you  know ;  and  you're 
likely  to  feel  that  call  to  the  wild  again  any  old 


time." 


Andy  only  laughed.  Apparently  he  had  a 
tough  hide  when  it  came  to  resisting  such  harm- 
less blunt-nosed  shafts  as  Tubby  could  launch 
against  him. 

"I'll  keep  it  in  mind,  Tubby,  I  promise  you," 
he  remarked ;  "but  after  we've  had  something  to 
eat,  you  won't  try  to  keep  me  any  longer.  We're 
all  here  to  enjoy  ourselves  according  to  our 
bent,  you  must  remember." 

"And  your  bent  runs  along  the  line  of  the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  259 

spectacular  display  of  gaudy  tinsel  and  all  sorts 
of  make-believe  frauds!"  continued  Tubby,  pre- 
tending to  curl  his  short  upper  lip  in  disdain, 
though  truth  to  tell  he  rather  enjoyed  a  little 
of  the  same  pleasures  himself. 

"Have  it  as  you  please,  Tubby,"  Andy  told 
him.  "To  me  they're  all  real,  and  when  I  find 
myself  surrounded  by  that  wonderful  foreign 
atmosphere,  it's  just  like  I'd  taken  wings  and 
flown  over  there  to  Africa,  or  Asia,  or  the  islands 
of  the  Far  East.  Rob,  make  him  stop  trying  to 
interfere  with  my  pleasure.  Just  because  one 
fortune-teller  riled  him,  Tubby  sneers  at  every- 
thing that  wears  a  Turkish  fez,  a  Bedouin  bour- 
noose  or  a  Persian  caftan.  I  guess  I  know  how 
to  sift  the  chaff  from  the  wheat.  And  a  fellow 
who  means  to  be  a  world  traveler  some  day 
ought  to  rub  up  against  these  sort  of  people  all 
he  can." 

Tubby  gave  it  up.  He  knew  nothing  he  could 
say  would  alter  Andy's  deep-rooted  convictions. 
Indeed,  it  was  more  to  get  even  with  him  that 
the  stout  scout  spoke  as  he  did. 

Later  on  they  hunted  up  a  dining-place  where 


260  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

they  could  secure  a  fair  meal  for  their  money, 
at  least  as  good  as  was  to  be  expected  linger  the 
circumstances. 

"Now  laugh  if  you  want  to,  Tubby/'  said 
Andy,  boldly,  after  they  had  issued  forth  from 
the  restaurant.  "I'm  going  to  break  away,  and 
you  know  where  I'll  be  heading.  You  keep  Rob 
company  the  rest  of  the  day.  He's  got  a  list  of 
things  he's  fairly  itching  to  see,  and  it's  as  long 
as  my  arm,  at  that.  Good  luck  to  you!" 

He  hurried  off  without  waiting  to  hear  what 
Tubby  might  have  to  say;  but  the  latter  only 
shook  his  head  as  he  caught  the  amused  look  in 
Rob's  eyes,  and  shrugged  his  fat  shoulders  as 
though  ready  to  give  Andy  up  as  beyond  redemp- 
tion. 

"Let  him  go  and  enjoy  himself  as  he  feels 
like,"  commented  Rob.  "That's  everybody's 
privilege  when  they  come  to  a  show  as  tremen- 
dous as  this  one  is.  And,  Tubby,  I  think  you're 
too  hard  on  Andy.  I  happen  to  know  that  he's 
been  devouring  every  book  on  travel  and  explo- 
ration he  can  find  anywhere.  The  subject  fills 
his  mind." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  261 

"Then  he  really  does  mean  to  make  that  his 
life  work,  Rob?  I  thought  it  was  just  a  sort  of 
cloak,  as  you  might  say,  to  cover  his  wanting  to 
see  these  Oriental  humbugs  carry  on.  Fortune- 
tellers ought  to  be  suppressed  by  law;  they  do 
lots  of  harm,  I  understand,  especially  where  silly 
people  believe  in  'em." 

Rob  came  very  near  remarking  that,  for  one 
who  scorned  their  class,  Tubby  himself  seemed 
to  be  bothered  considerably  over  a  certain  foolish 
prophecy;  but  on  second  thought  he  concluded 
not  to  add  to  the  color  in  the  fat  boy's  cheeks 
by  embarrassing  him. 

Being  now  free  from  the  two  chums  who  had 
such  peculiar  and  strong  notions  as  to  what  they 
wanted  to  devote  all  their  time  to,  Rob  and  Tubby 
started  in  to  spend  several  hours  to  the  best 
possible  advantage. 

They  were  not  merely  seeking  amusement,  but 
instruction  as  well ;  and  there  were  copious  foun- 
tains to  be  tapped  within  the  borders  of  those 
extensive  grounds  of  the  wonderful  Exposition 
that  would  repay  the  laborer  manyfold  for  his 
trouble. 


262  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"I  tell  you  I'm  mighty  glad  I  happened  to  run 
across  you,  Rob,"  Tubby  remarked,  for  perhaps 
the  tenth  time,  as  they  watched  the  process  of 
the  Government  fish  hatchery,  where  millions  of 
eggs  were  transformed  into  tiny  objects  that 
looked  like  animated  specks  in  the  water,  but 
which  under  proper  care  would  some  day  be 
placed  in  certain  lakes  or  rivers  or  in  the  sea, 
to  add  to  the  prosperity  of  the  nation  that  was 
fast  learning  how  to  conserve  its  food  supplies. 

"And  I'm  just  as  pleased  on  my  own  account," 
the  scout  leader  told  him.  "You  see  how  my 
two  chums  are  bound  to  desert  me,  each  crazy 
along  his  own  particular  line,  and  bound  to  fol- 
low his  pet  whim  through  thick  and  thin." 

"Haw!  then  I'm  the  only  sensible  one  of  the 
lot,  seems  like!"  grunted  Tubby,  with  beaming 
face.  "Thank  you  for  intimating  as  much,  Rob. 
I  do  seem  to  fancy  many  of  the  same  things 
that  strike  you  as  worth  seeing.  'Course  I  sort 
of  enjoy  the  humbug  of  the  Zone,  but  a  little  goes 
a  great  way.  My  better  nature  craves  educa- 
tional value  for  the  time  spent  in  coming  away 
out  here!" 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  263 

When  Tubby  said  this  so  grandly  he  tried  very 
hard  to  keep  a  straight  face ;  but  discovering  the 
gleam  of  merriment  in  Rob's  eyes,  he  burst  into 
a  laugh. 

"Well,  it's  part  way  true,  anyhow,  Rob,"  he 
declared.  "I  am  having  a  real  good  time  keeping 
up  with  you,  even  if  we're  walking  miles  and 
miles,  and  my  shoes  are  getting  to  pinch  me 
something  fierce." 

"Let's  get  somewhere  and  sit  down  for  a 
spell,"  Rob  suggested,  for  he  awoke  to  the  fact 
that  poor  Tubby  was  not  built  for  getting  over 
acres  and  acres  of  ground  with  all  that  flesh  to 
carry  along. 

"Now,  isn't  that  queer,  Rob;  but  d'ye  know  I 
was  just  going  to  dare  you  to  go  me  a  plate  of 
that  ice  cream  over  there.  We  can  sit  at  a  table 
and  get  rested  while  we  partake  of  the  stuff. 
Excuse  me  for  calling  it  that,  but  the  chances 
are  against  getting  anything  first-class  when 
you're  dealing  with  a  man  who  put  up  an  enor- 
mous sum  to  pay  for  his  concession,  and  has  to 
get  it  back  somehow  out  of  the  public." 

They  spent  almost  half  an  hour  there,  watch- 


264  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

ing  the  crowds  and  resting.  Then  as  Tubby  de- 
clared he  felt  capable  again  of  almost  any  exer- 
tion, they  resumed  their  sight-seeing  walk. 

"I  notice,  Rob,  that  you're  working  around  so 
as  to  come  on  our  meeting-place  after  a  while/' 
suggested  Tubby. 

"I  was  waiting  to  see  if  you'd  pay  attention  to 
that,"  the  other  told  him.  "I'm  glad  to  find  you 
did.  A  scout  must  have  his  eyes  on  the  alert 
all  the  while  if  he  wants  to  keep  up  with  the 
procession,  Tubby." 

"Oh!  I'm  improving  right  along,  Rob;  my 
folks  at  home  tell  me  that,  too.  Time  was  when 
my  favorite  occupation  used  to  be  to  stretch  and 
yawn.  All  that's  changed  now,  for  I  yawn  and 
stretch,  you  see.  This  scout  business  does  work 
wonders,  doesn't  it?" 

But  then  everyone  knew  that  Tubby  had 
changed  wonderfully  since  he  joined  the  troop. 
Considering  the  handicap  under  which  he  labored 
on  account  of  his  size,  and  the  difficulty  he  had 
in  doing  things  that  were  easy  for  his  chums, 
he  managed  to  get  along  tip-top.  Rob  always 
gave  him  more  credit  than  the  rest  when  an  ob- 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  265 

ject  they  had  been  laboring  to  accomplish  had 
been  attained;  because  the  one  who  overcomes 
the  most  strenuous  barriers  deserves  greater 
praise  than  those  who  have  not  been  compelled 
to  draw  upon  their  reserve  powers. 

They  stood  there  looking  up  at  the  vast  Tri- 
umphal Arch  of  the  Setting  Sun,  which,  it  seemed 
to  Tubby,  was  the  most  beautiful  thing  in  the 
whole  Exposition.  It  appealed  to  him  in  a  way 
he  could  hardly  explain,  except  that  something 
seemed  to  draw  him  back  there  again  and  again. 

"Why,  before  you  came,  Rob,"  he  remarked,  "I 
used  to  just  haunt  this  place,  together  with  the 
vicinity  of  the  Column  of  Progress  looking  out 
on  the  Marino.  I'll  see  them  in  my  dreams  long 
after  all  the  other  effects  of  the  Fair  have  faded 
away.  And  I  reckon  now  every  visitor  will  some- 
how have  a  certain  thing  stay  with  him  through 
all  time,  as  a  memory  of  the  greatest  Exposi- 
tion that  ever  was  given." 

"Step  back  here,  Tubby !"  said  Rob,  as  he  took 
hold  of  the  other's  sleeve  and  drew  him  swiftly 
around  a  corner. 


266  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Why,  what's  all  this  mean?"  gasped  the  stout 
boy,  looking  startled. 

"Oh!  I  saw  that  hustling  newspaper  man 
again,"  explained  Rob,  "and  I  was  afraid  he'd 
corner  us  and  try  to  worm  out  something  of  our 
past." 

"Shucks!  is  that  all?"  said  Tubby,  in  disgust. 
"Why,  Rob,  honest  to  goodness  now,  if  I  didn't 
think  it  might  be  another  mad  dog  scare  we  were 
up  against/' 

"Well,  it  was  something  I  dislike  almost  as 
much,"  vowed  Rob.  "And  if  he  ever  got  you 
cornered  I'm  pretty  sure  you'd  give  him  all  the 
details  about  that  other  little  happening  that 
would  make  me  look  silly  in  the  paper.  Now  he's 
gone,  and  it's  safe  for  us  to  step  out." 

Tubby  shook  his  head,  and  sighed. 

"You  sure  are  the  queerest  fish  ever,  Rob,"  he 
observed,  with  a  disappointed  air.  "I  never  yet 
ran  across  the  fellow  who  wouldn't  be  only  too 
glad  to  see  a  write-up  about  him  in  the  paper 
where  he  was  called  a  hero,  and  all  that.  Why, 
they'd  hurry  off  to  buy  a  dozen  copies,  and  mail 
the  same  to  all  the  girls  they  knew.  But  say, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  26? 

whenever  you  do  a  thing  worth  mentioning  you 
try  to  sneak  away  as  if  it  was  something  to  be 
ashamed  of." 

"I  don't  like  it,  and  that's  the  only  explanation 
I  can  give  you,  Tubby.  Come,  let's  go  into  this 
building,  and  then  half  an  hour  from  now  it'll 
be  time  to  make  for  our  meeting-place  so  as  to 
pick  up  the  other  fellows/' 

"I  hope  Hiram  has  made  up  his  mind  it's  about 
due  to  spring  his  surprise  on  the  company  he's 
come  all  the  way  out  here  to  see  and  talk  with," 
Tubby  said,  as  they  started  into  the  building 
mentioned  by  Rob. 

"I've  got  a  hunch  that  he  will,  after  to-day, 
Tubby.  I  mean  to  speak  with  him  about  it  this 
very  night,  and  see  if  it  can't  be  settled  to-mor- 
row. Hiram  looks  so  anxious  every  little  while 
it's  too  bad  he  doesn't  take  the  bull  by  the  horns 
and  settle  the  matter  once  for  all." 

When  the  half -hour  was  up  the  two  boys  issued 
forth,  and  headed  in  the  direction  of  the  tobac- 
conist's booth,  which  was  not  a  great  way  off. 
Tubby  was  again  feeling  tired,  and  seemed  pretty 
well  used  up. 


268  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"We'll  go  home  as  we  did  last  night,  right 
after  eating,"  suggested  Rob.  "Then  to-morrow 
we  needn't  hurry  around,  for  we'll  stay  until  the 
gates  close  at  ten,  so  as  to  see  the  illumination, 
and  the  play  of  the  electric  fountains." 

"That  suits  me  first-rate,  though  I've  seen  all 
those  things  already,  and  more  than  once,"  the 
other  told  the  scout  leader. 

A  few  minutes  later  and  Tubby  burst  forth 
again. 

"There's  the  booth  we're  aiming  for,  Rob," 
he  declared ;  "and  isn't  that  our  chum  Andy  walk- 
ing up  and  down  like  a  tiger  in  its  cage  ?  There, 
he  sees  us  now,  seems  like,  and  he's  beckoning. 
Let's  hurry  on,"  and  Tubby  actually  forgot  that 
he  was  tired  in  his  eagerness  to  learn  why  the 
other  was  showing  such  signs  of  excitement. 

"A  note  from  Hiram  that  he  left  here  for  us, 
fellows,"  Andy  hastened  to  say  as  the  others 
reached  his  side;  "and  he  wants  us  to  chase 
around  there  hot-footed,  because  there's  some- 
thing big  on  the  bills." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  269 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

HIRAM   FACES  THE  MUSIC. 

"Read  it  out,  Rob,  please/'  pleaded  Tubby, 
with  round-eyed  wonder. 

Thus  urged,  the  scout  leader  proceeded  to 
oblige. 

"This  is  what  he  says  here,"  he  announced. 
"  'Come  around  to  the  aviation  field  as  soon  as 
you  possibly  can.  Something  doing.  Guess  my 
chance  is  knocking  at  the  door  like  opportunity 
that  comes  once  to  everybody,  they  say.  Please 

hurry'  "  'Signed  Hiram.'  » 

"Do  we  go,  Rob?"  gasped  Tubby,  with  intense 
eagerness  in  his  whole  manner. 

"Without  losing  a  single  minute!"  declared 
the  other. 

"Well,  I  should  remark/'  added  Andy.  "We've 
been  up  to  our  ears  interested  in  this  affair  of 
Hiram's  from  the  day  we  left  home;  and  we 
mean  to  see  him  through  his  troubles  to  boot." 


270  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"So  let's  be  on  the  move/'  suggested  Rob. 

"That  suits  me,"  breathed  Tubby.  "You  see, 
I've  gotten  over  my  tired  feeling.  There's  noth- 
ing can  revive  a  weary  scout  half  so  quick  as  a 
chance  to  get  in  the  swim.  Why,  I  feel  as  fresh 
as  a  daisy,  whatever  that  can  mean." 

"Well,  toddle  along  with  us  then,  Tubby,"  said 
Andy ;  "and  take  my  advice — don't  talk  so  much 
when  you're  hurrying;  it's  a  bad  thing,  because 
you  need  every  bit  of  breath  you  c'n  get." 

Evidently  Tubby  realized  this  fact  for  himself, 
because  he  subsided  from  that  moment;  all  they 
heard  from  him  were  frequent  heavy  sighs  that 
accompanied  his  strenuous  efforts  to  keep  at  their 
heels. 

They  knew  the  way  to  the  aviation  field,  and 
took  as  direct  a  course  as  possible  when  aiming 
for  that  favorite  portion  of  the  grounds.  There 
could  always  be  found  a  large  crowd  watching 
the  bird-men  in  their  preparations  for  going 
aloft,  and  making  landings  after  showing  what 
their  airships  were  capable  of  doing. 

As  a  rule  most  of  the  spectators  were  de- 
barred from  getting  too  close  to  the  aeroplanes, 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  271 

for  many  reasons;  but  Hiram  had  made  himself 
so  useful  on  former  occasions  that  no  one  ques- 
tioned his  right  inside  the  ropes.  So  also  the 
other  three  scouts  would  doubtless  be  allowed  to 
loiter  near  the  starting  point,  where  there  were 
always  a  dozen  or  two  air-pilots  gathered,  com- 
paring notes  and  joking  each  other  after  the 
manner  of  daring  adventurers,  which  all  of  them 
undoubtedly  are,  since  they  take  their  lives  in 
their  hands  every  time  they  ascend. 

Hiram  was  waiting  for  them  on  the  border  of 
the  great  throng  of  deeply  interested  spectators. 
They  saw  immediately  that  the  inventor  scout 
was  very  much  worked  up  over  something  or 
other,  and  naturally  all  of  the  other  boys  were 
deeply  curious  to  know  what  had  happened  to 
excite  him. 

Hiram  was  evidently  on  the  lookout  for  his 
three  chums,  since  he  beckoned  them  over  as 
soon  as  he  caught  their  eyes. 

"Well,  we've  come!"  said  Tubby,  breathlessly, 
as  they  lined  up  alongside  the  other. 

"Now  tell  us  what's  in  the  wind !"  added  Andy, 
impatiently. 


272  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"Something  has  happened,"  began  Hiram, 
mysteriously. 

"You  said  that  in  your  note,"  grumbled  Andy. 

"The  Company/'  Hiram  continued,  "have  been 
waiting  for  me  to  show  up,  and  they're  just  so 
eager  to  find  out  what  my  stabilizer  can  do  that 
they  can't  stand  for  the  delay  any  longer." 

"Great  governor !  they  don't  mean  to  steal  your 
idea,  I  hope?"  asked  Tubby. 

"Oh,  no,  I  guess  not !"  replied  the  other,  calmly. 
"You  see  they've  applied  it  to  one  of  their  best 
machines  to  give  it  a  try-out." 

"Bully!  that  suits  you  all  right!"  urged  Andy, 
enthusiastically. 

"I  should  say  yes!"  declared  Hiram,  with  a 
wide  grin.  "And  if  you  crane  your  necks  right 
now  so  as  to  rubber  and  look  up  you'll  see  that 
same  aeroplane  soaring  along  there !" 

"That  monoplane  you  mean,  don't  you, 
Hiram?"  asked  Andy,  after  all  of  them  had 
taken  a  good  look  to  where  the  other  was  point- 
ing. 

"Yep,  she's  the  one,  and  my  stabilizer's 
aboard,"  Hiram  went  on  to  tell  them,  with  a 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  273 

pardonable  touch  of  pride  in  his  voice,  though 
he  was  careful  that  no  one  else  should  hear  him 
speaking. 

"Have  they  tried  it  out  yet,  d'ye  know?"  in- 
quired Tubby. 

"I  think  the  pilot's  just  starting  in  now  to  see 
what  she  can  do,"  he  was  told. 

"Oh!  Did  you  see  him  tumble  then?"  ejacu- 
lated the  fat  boy,  gripping  Hiram's  arm  nerv- 
ously as  he  spoke. 

"That  was  looping  the  loop,"  explained  the 
inventor;  "lots  of  pilots  c'n  do  that  trick  nowa- 
days ;  why,  I've  heard  that  Beachey  even  makes 
two  complete  turns.  That  bird-man  up  there  is 
second  only  to  Beachey,  I'm  told.  Watch  some 
more  of  his  bold  stunts;  and  hold  your  breath, 
Tubby,  for  hell  give  you  lots  of  thrills." 

"But  I've  got  to  breathe,  don't  you  see,"  com- 
plained the  fat  scout,  who  was  already  unduly 
red  in  the  face  from  his  exertions  in  this  line. 

They  watched  the  aviator  go  through  a  num- 
ber of  hazardous  exploits.  It  was  doubtless  gen- 
erally known  among  the  pilots  assembled  that  he 
was  testing  some  new  idea,  for  he  seemed  to  be 


274  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

closely  observed  by  everybody  within  the 
enclosure. 

Hiram  could  see  that  some  of  the  bird-men 
were,  pleased,  for  they  nodded  their  heads  as  they 
exchanged  remarks.  Fancy  how  this  fact  thrilled 
the  boy,  for  it  was  his  invention  that  interested 
these  veterans  among  air-pilots. 

"Now  I  kind  of  guess  he's  exhausted  every 
trick  he  knows,  and  is  goin'  to  come  down,"  said 
Hiram,  presently.  "We'd  better  be  gettin'  in- 
side, for  I  want  to  be  as  close  as  I  can  when  he 
makes  his  report  to  the  folks." 

Accordingly  he  led  his  chums  inside  the  roped 
enclosure.  He  seemed  to  have  made  good  with 
the  attendants,  for  they  smiled  and  nodded  to 
Hiram.  That  Yankee  "gift  of  gab"  which 
Hiram  possessed  was  very  apt  to  get  him  into 
the  good  graces  of  those  upon  whom  he  chose 
to  exercise  it. 

The  scouts  presently  found  themselves  in  close 
touch  with  many  of  the  participants  in  the  ex- 
hibitions that  were  hourly  taking  place.  Here 
were  men  famous  in  their  line,  from  aviators  to 
makers  of  machines.  Here  also  had  collected 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  275 

those  who  were  interested  in  the  future  of  avia- 
tion, and  thinking  more  or  less  seriously  of  em- 
barking in  the  business. 

As  may  be  expected,  the  talk  was  "shop"  every 
minute  of  the  time.  No  matter  what  terrible 
distress  the  war  over  in  Europe  might  be  causing, 
these  enthusiasts  could  only  think  and  speak  of 
matters  that  were  connected  with  the  game  of 
rivaling  the  birds  in  their  flights.  If  they  men- 
tioned the  battles  that  were  taking  place  day  in 
and  day  out,  it  was  only  in  connection  with  the 
exploits  of  the  aviation  corps  on  the  side  of  the 
French,  the  German,  the  British  or  the  Belgian 
armies. 

"See  that  gentleman  writh  the  white  mustache, 
the  one  that  looks  like  a  Kentucky  colonel,  or  an 
army  officer?"  whispered  Hiram.  "Well,  that's 
the  head  of  the  Golden  Gate  Aviation  Supply 
Company,  and  the  person  I  expect  to  do  business 
with  pretty  soon." 

"He's  a  fine  looking  gentleman,  I  must  say," 
admitted  Rob.  "I  think  you'll  have  no  trouble 
making  fair  terms  with  him,  if  I'm  any  judge  of 
faces." 


270  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

"I'm  giad  to  hear  you  say  that,  Rob/'  breathed 
Hiram,  with  a  sigh,  "because  one  minute  I  think 
everything  looks  rosy,  and  the  next  I'm  grovel- 
ing in  the  dust.  But  the  agony  will  soon  be  over. 
There,  he  means  to  land  this  time;  get  ready  to 
stick  by  me,  because  I  want  to  be  near  when 
he  climbs  out  of  his  seat  and  meets  that  boss  of 
the  whole  company  face  to  face." 

The  monoplane  came  swooping  down,  and  like 
a  great  bird  with  wings  extended,  sailed  along 
close  to  the  ground,  with  constantly  decreasing 
speed,  as  the  power  had  been  shut  off. 

Now  the  wheels  under  the  frame  had  come 
in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  a  dozen  eager 
hands  were  outstretched  to  bring  the  machine  to 
a  full  stop  on  the  border  of  the  group.  This 
assemblage  was  being  constantly  augmented  by 
fresh  arrivals,  all  eager  to  pass  the  good  word 
with  the  pilot,  and  possibly  congratulate  him  on 
the  fine  showing  he  had  just  made. 

Hiram  was  looking  as  sharp  as  a  fox  as  he 
strained  his  ears  to  catch  every  syllable  that  the 
air-man  uttered. 

He    leisurely   climbed   out   of   his    seat    and 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  277 

reached  the  ground.  There  was  a  satisfied  smile 
on  his  face  that  sent  a  wave  of  delight  to  the 
anxious  heart  of  the  waiting  boy,  to  whom  the 
success  or  failure  of  this,  his  first  real  invention, 
meant  so  much. 

The  pilot  looked  around.  He  was  evidently 
expecting  to  make  an  immediate  report  to  the 
gentleman  with  the  white  mustache,  and  Hiram 
had  been  very  careful  to  keep  in  close  touch 
with  that  man. 

Yes,  the  pilot,  after  exchanging  a  littk  badi- 
nage with  some  of  his  comrades,  immediately 
pushed  directly  toward  the  spot  where  the  four 
chums  stood.  Straight  up  to  the  head  of  the 
large  firm  by  whom  he  was  employed  the  bird- 
man  strode. 

"Well,  what  is  the  decision  ?"  Hiram  heard  the 
gentleman  say,  a  note  of  anticipation  in  his 
voice. 

"Decidedly  favorable,  Mr.  Curley.  In  fact, 
with  only  one  trial  I  am  convinced  that  it  is 
going  to  be  the  best  stabilizer  so  far  on  the  mar- 
ket. You  have  made  no  mistake,  take  my  word 
for  it  I" 


278  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

Rob  almost  feared  Hiram  was  going  to  faint. 
He  leaned  so  heavily  against  him,  as  though  for 
the  moment  his  heart  had  ceased  to  beat.  And 
yet,  strange  to  say,  the  very  first  thing  the  over- 
joyed inventor  did  was  to  turn  and  clap  his  mouth 
close  to  the  ear  of  the  scout  leader  and  mutter 
in  trembling  tones: 

"By  jinks!  Did  you  hear  that,  Rob?  Say,  I 
meant  to  ask  'em  just  twenty-five  hundred  cash 
for  the  patent,  but  she's  doubled  in  price  now. 
And  don't  you  think  they'll  pay  the  five  thousand 
all  right,  Rob?" 

The  Yankee  in  Hiram  was  on  tap,  Rob  saw 
with  amusement.  At  the  same  time  he  hastened 
to  assure  his  chum  that  he  was  well  within  his 
rights  in  demanding  all  he  thought  he  could  get 
for  his  cunning  device. 

Evidently  Hiram  had  determined  to  break  the 
ice  while  the  opportunity  lay  within  his  reach. 
Long  had  he  waited  for  this  glorious  moment  to 
arrive.  By  day  he  had  pictured  it  in  a  dozen 
fantastic  forms,  and  while  he  slept  his  dreams 
must  have  carried  him  through  numerous  inter- 
views with  the  powers  that  swayed  the  fortunes 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  279 

of  the  wonderful  Golden  Gate  Aviation  Supply 
Company. 

He  pushed  forward  a  little  further.  If  some 
of  those  present  noticed  the  boy  in  scout  uniform 
they  paid  little  attention  to  him,  being  taken  up 
with  what  was  passing  between  the  pilot  and  the 
builder. 

So  Hiram  managed  to  squeeze  himself  along 
until  he  could  put  out  his  hand  and  actually  touch 
the  two  central  figures  in  the  discussion. 

Rob  and  the  other  boys  were  not  quite  so  for- 
tunate, but  being  within  easy  hearing  distance, 
they  believed  they  would  not  be  apt  to  miss  any- 
thing that  went  on. 

They  saw  Hiram  put  out  his  hand  and  give  a 
tug  at  the  coat  of  the  fine-looking  gentleman  with 
the  white  military  mustache.  The  latter  looked 
down  and  was  apparently  annoyed  to  see  that  it 
was  only  a  youth  who  sought  to  distract  his 
attention. 

"What  do  you  want,  boy?"  he  was  heard  to 
ask,  impatiently. 

Then  Hiram  spoke  up.  If  his  voice  quavered 
a  little  that  was  not  surprising;  indeed,  in  Rob's 


280  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

mind  the  wonder  was  that  the  excited  scout  could 
find  his  tongue  at  all. 

"Do  you  think,  Mr.  Curley,  that  the  little 
stabilizer  has  proved  to  be  all  that  was  claimed 
for  it,  sir?"  was  what  Hiram  asked. 

The  gentleman  stared  hard  at  him.  Others 
who  heard  his  question  did  the  same,  and  Rob  saw 
a  smile  as  of  amusement  appear  on  the  bronzed 
face  of  the  noted  air-pilot  who  had  just  come 
down,  after  experimenting  with  the  device,  bring- 
ing a  favorable  report;  it  was  as  though  he  had 
begun  to  smell  a  rat,  and  realized  what  a  joke 
it  would  be  to  have  a  boy  invent  such  an  impor- 
tant appendage  to  a  heavier-than-air  flying 
machine. 

"Why,  what  business  is  that  of  yours,  may  I 
ask,  boy?"  demanded  the  business  head  of  the 
big  company,  as  he  continued  to  stare  at  the 
eager,  flushed  face  of  the  lad  who  wore  the 
khaki  of  a  Boy  Scout. 

"Oh !  because  I  happen  to  be  the  Hiram  Nelson 
you've  been  corresponding  with,  sir,  that's  all!" 
said  Hiram.  "I  used  the  money  you  sent  me  to 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  281 

come  out  here,  but  was  a  leetle  bit  afraid  to  face 
you.  But  I  guess  it's  all  right  now,  Mr.  Curley, 
because  I  heard  your  pilot  say  the  thing  worked 
fine.  That  suits  me;  and  I'm  ready  to  talk  terms 
with  you  right  away!" 


28B  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  BOY  SCOUT'S  TRIUMPH. 

"What's  this  you  are  telling  me?"  asked  Mr. 
Curley,  quickly.  "Have  you  the  proof  of  what 
you  claim  with  you,  young  man?" 

Rob  noticed  that  it  was  no  longer  "boy"  with 
the  gentleman ;  Hiram  was  evidently  climbing  in 
the  scales,  and  rapidly  at  that. 

"Oh,  yes,  sir,  I've  got  everything  to  show 
you ;  and  my  patent  right  papers  are  in  the  hotel 
safe  ready  to  be  turned  over  in  case  we  can 
reach  a  bargain." 

The  gentleman  looked  hastily  around  him. 
There  were  representatives  of  other  makers  of 
aeroplanes  present  who  might  endeavor  to  bid 
against  him  if  only  they  knew  he  did  not  as  yet 
have  any  positive  agreement  with  the  inventor 
of  that  successful  stabilizer. 

"Please  say  no  more  until  we  are  in  my  office, 
Mr.  Nelson,"  he  remarked,  softly;  "and  if  you 
have  the  time  now  we  might  as  well  adjourn 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  283 

there.  I'll  ask  a  few  of  my  people  to  accompany 
us,  as  well  as  this  pilot  who  has  just  given  your 
little  trick  its  first  try  out." 

"I'll  be  glad  to  enter  into  a  talk  with  you,  Mr. 
Curley,"  declared  Hiram;  "but  I  must  insist  that 
my  friends,  who  have  come  out  to  the  Coast  with 
me,  be  along/' 

He  beckoned  to  Rob  and  Andy  and  Tubby, 
who  immediately  started  to  push  their  way 
through  the  crowd  to  where  Hiram  and  the  gen- 
tleman with  the  white  mustache  stood. 

"Certainly,  it  is  only  fair  that  you  should  have 
equal  backing  with  us,"  observed  the  gentleman, 
whose  eyes  twinkled  with  amusement  now,  as  he 
began  to  grasp  the  situation,  and  realize  that 
his  company  was  up  against  a  boy  who  knew 
his  rights,  and  was  possessed  of  considerable 
business  sagacity,  as  well  as  inventive  talent. 

Accordingly  they  all  headed  for  some  buildings 
not  a  great  ways  off,  and  thus  it  came  that  pres- 
ently the  scouts  found  themselves  behind  closed 
doors  with  Mr.  Curley  and  a  number  of  others. 

The  head  of  the  manufacturing  firm  was 
frowning  a  trifle,  Rob  noticed,  even  if  there  were 


2-8-4  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

times  when  he  allowed  a  trace  of  a  smile  to 
steal  across  his  face  on  glancing  down  at  the 
figure  of  Hiram  Nelson.  Rob  knew  why  this 
should  be  so,  and  he  considered  that  it  was  only 
natural. 

As  a  shrewd  business  man  Mr.  Curley  realized 
that  Hiram  had  been  too  smart  for  them.  In- 
stead of  announcing  his  presence  immediately, 
and  taking  what  they  chose  to  offer  him  for  his 
clever  device,  the  young  Yankee  inventor  had 
hung  around  and  waited  for  the  climax  to  come. 
He  had  heard  the  favorable  report  made  by  the 
bird-man,  and  of  course  that  had  strengthened 
his  case. 

The  gentleman  understood  that  this  unfortu- 
nate happening  was  likely  to  cost  them  dearly, 
since  the  inventor,  knowing  the  value  of  his  pat- 
ent, would  be  likely  to  hold  out  for  a  much  larger 
sum. 

"Now,  if  you  will  let  me  see  some  papers  to 
prove  your  identity,  Mr.  Nelson,  we  will  talk 
shop  with  you;  and  I  might  as  well  confess  in 
the  beginning  that  if  you  are  inclined  to  treat  us 
fairly  we  can  come  to  terms  with  you ;  but  please 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  285 

consider  that  only  one  trial  has  been  given  to 
your  stabilizer;  and  it  may,  after  all,  be  of  less 
value  than  appears  at  this  moment." 

Hiram  needed  no  second  invitation  to  get  busy. 
He  immediately  unloaded  a  mass  of  proof  upon 
them  to  show  he  was  all  he  claimed,  and  that  he 
also  had  the  papers  connected  with  his  patent. 

"I  am  satisfied,  so  far  as  that  goes,"  announced 
the  gentleman,  as  though  desirous  of  arriving  at 
the  most  important  part  of  the  whole  proceed- 
ings as  soon  as  possible.  "Now  will  you  please 
state  the  very  lowest  cash  price  you  will  accept 
to  turn  the  patent  over  to  this  company?" 

"Five  thousand  dollars,  sir!"  replied  Hiram 
promptly. 

Rob  was  watching  the  other's  face.  He  saw 
something  there  that  told  him  Hiram  had  at  least 
not  exceeded  the  amount  which  would  have  been 
reckoned  a  price  limit  for  the  invention.  Mr. 
Curley,  however,  was  too  good  a  business  man 
to  show  any  eagerness  in  the  transaction,  though 
there  was  certainly  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  in 
his  eyes  as  he  seemed  to  consider  the  offer. 

"I  am  going  to  be  frank  with  you,  Mr.  Nel- 


286  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

son,"  he  remarked,  presently.  "The  sum  you 
mention,  although  somewhat  larger  than  we  had 
contemplated  paying  for  an  invention  the  value 
of  which  has  still  to  be  fully  proved,  is  within 
the  amount  we  could  afford  to  risk  in  the  hopes 
of  getting  a  really  dependable  stabilizer.  Now, 
if  we  agree  to  do  business  with  you,  would  you 
consent  to  sign  a  paper  here  and  now  to  turn 
over  your  patent  right  entirely  to  us  on  the 
receipt  of  the  sum  you  mention,  five  thousand 
dollars?" 

Hiram  was  holding  his  own  remarkably  well. 
He  refused  to  show  any  signs  of  being  over- 
whelmed by  his  great  good  fortune,  and  seemed 
to  be  capable  of  displaying  his  customary  shrewd 
Yankee  bargaining  qualities. 

'Til  agree  to  do  it,  Mr.  Curley,"  he  said  de- 
liberately, "if  your  company  also  makes  the  bar- 
gain so  it  can't  be  broken.  It  mustn't  bind  only 
me.  Pay  a  certain  sum  in  hand,  and  agree  to 
give  me  the  balance  to-morrow,  and  I'll  sign  the 
paper  you  speak  of,  handing  over  the  patent 
rights  transferred  to  you  when  the  balance  is 
put  in  my  hands." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  287 

"That's  strictly  business  acumen,  Mr.  Nelson/' 
said  the  gentleman,  now  smiling  broadly,  for 
there  was  no  longer  any  danger  of  a  backdown, 
and  the  wonderful  little  invention  could  not  be 
taken  away  from  them  by  some  rival  and  wealthy 
company;  "and  with  your  permission,  then,  here 
is  an  agreement,  in  duplicate,  with  the  amount 
left  blank,  which  I  will  fill  in  according  to  your 
proposition;  and  if  everything  is  agreeable,  we 
will  both  sign  it  in  proper  form." 

A  fewr  minutes  later  the  agreement,  filled  out 
as  settled  upon,  was  handed  to  Hiram  to  look 
over  before  signing.  He  immediately  backed 
over  to  where  his  three  comrades  stood. 

"I  want  you  to  go  over  it  word  for  word  with 
me,  Rob,  and  if  there's  any  sort  of  hitch  or  trap, 
tell  me;  though  I  don't  expect  to  find  that  sort  of 
thing,  because  I  guess  Mr.  Curley  is  too  straight 
a  gentleman  to  try  and  take  advantage  of  a 
boy." 

They  weighed  every  sentence,  and  fortunately 
the  agreement  was  very  simple,  so  it  was  easily 
understood. 

"How  about  it,  Rob?"  asked  Hiram,  trying  to 


288  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

control  himself  as  best  he  could,  for  he  knew 
curious  eyes  were  upon  him,  and  he  did  not  want 
any  of  the  men  to  believe  this  was  his  first  ven- 
ture in  the  realm  of  finance,  which  in  fact  was 
the  actual  truth. 

"It  seems  to  be  all  right,  Hiram,  and  I  wouldn't 
hesitate  to  sign  it,"  the  scout  leader  advised  him. 
"If  you  want  a  witness  allow  me  to  put  my 
signature  on  it.  I'll  be  proud  to  know  that  I've 
had  something  to  do  with  your  first  real  success." 

"Something  to  do!"  echoed  Hiram,  with  con- 
siderable emotion,  "why,  Rob,  you've  been  my 
backbone  up  to  now.  Only  for  you  I'd  have 
made  a  botch  of  the  hull  thing.  I  owe  you  more'n 
I  c'n  ever  tell." 

He  went  back  to  where  Mr.  Curley  was  wait- 
ing, a  little  anxiously  Rob  saw,  as  if  he  feared 
Hiram  might  be  overcome  with  greed,  and  at- 
tempt to  boost  the  price  he  had  already  named. 

"I  see  you  agree  to  give  me  a  check  for  five 
hundred  dollars  right  now,  Mr.  Curley,"  Hiram 
commenced,  "to  bind  the  bargain  with.  Well, 
I  would  be  tempted  to  say  I  didn't  want  you  to 
do  that,  but  I  know  it's  a  poor  thing  to  refuse 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  289 

money  in  hand,  and  also  that  it  fixes  it  so  neither 
of  us  can  back  out.  So  I'll  accept  the  sum,  sir, 
and  sign  the  agreement." 

This  he  hastened  to  do,  and  Rob  was  called  on 
to  add  his  name  as  a  witness ;  then  other  names 
were  placed  upon  the  agreement,  as  well  as  the 
duplicate  which  was  to  be  given  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Hiram  as  the  other  party. 

When  that  check  for  five  hundred  dollars  was 
placed  in  Hiram's  hand  he  smiled,  and  then  coolly 
doubling  it  up,  placed  it  carefully  away  in  his 
pocketbook. 

"That,  for  a  beginning,  isn't  so  bad,  Mr.  Cur- 
ley,"  he  said,  as  the  gentleman  was  shaking 
hands  cordially  with  him.  "I'm  meaning  to  use 
every  cent  of  this  money  to  advance  several  lit- 
tle schemes  I've  got  started.  Only  for  my  need 
of  cash  to  push  them  along  mebbe  you  mightn't 
t  have  got  that  stabilizer  without~a  few  bids  from 
other  companies ;  but  you  sure  treated  me  white, 
Mr.  Curley,  and  I  wanted  you  to  know  I  appre- 
ciate it." 

Possibly  Mr.  Curley  may  have  thought  that 
Hiram  had  worked  a  pretty  sharp  trick  on  them 


290  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

in  hanging  around,  and  learning  what  they 
thought  about  his  invention  before  disclosing  his 
identity;  but  then  certain  things  are  allowable 
in  business,  and  at  least  he  had  shown  himself 
capable  of  looking  after  his  own  interests. 

"If  any  of  your  later  ideas  happen  to  be  in  line 
with  our  work,  Mr.  Nelson,"  the  head  of  the 
firm  said,  "I  hope  you  will  give  us  a  look  at  them 
before  you  approach  any  rival  company.  In  one 
way  it  is  a  good  thing  for  an  inventor  to  keep 
advancing  with  the  firm  who  first  patronized 
him,  of  course,  granting  that  they  will  meet  any 
price  he  may  be  offered  elsewhere." 

"I  guess  I  c'n  promise  you  that,  sir,"  said 
Hiram,  who  was  very  happy,  and  at  that  moment 
felt  drawn  toward  the  fine-looking  gentleman 
who  had  treated  him  so  splendidly. 

So  the  four  boys  wended  their  way  toward 
the  gates  of  the  Exposition.  Hiram  hardly  knew 
whether  he  was  walking  on  air  or  on  ground. 
It  seemed  to  him  that  his  heels  must  be  made  of 
some  magical  rubber  that  kept  pace  with  his  ec- 
stasy of  mind,  for  he  came  near  dancing  at  times, 
much  to  the  amusement  of  Rob. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  291 

"First  thing  for  me  to  do,  fellows,"  Hiram 
said,  as  they  reached  the  hotel,  "is  to  send  a 
night  letter  to  my  folks  telling  'em  that  I've  got 
the  coin.  My  maw  she  believed  in  me  right 
along,  but  dad  he's  allers  been  kinder  skeptical, 
you  know,  and  used  to  say  I  was  spendin'  heaps 
of  money  on  foolishness.  Guess  he's  due  to 
change  his  tune  after  this,  hey?" 

Rob  found  that  there  had  been  a  telegram  for 
him  that  morning  which  somehow  he  had  failed 
to  receive  before  leaving  for  the  Exposition 
grounds.  It  was  a  night  letter  from  Professor 
McEwen  in  answer  to  the  one  he  had  sent,  signed 
by  the  name  of  Professor  Marsh,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  exhibit. 

In  this  communication,  limited  to  fifty  words, 
the  Edinburgh  scientist  tried  to  express  the  deep 
satisfaction  he  felt  because  Rob  and  Andy  had 
successfully  filled  his  place,  and  handed  over 
that  precious  packet  to  the  gentleman  in  charge, 
without  any  accident.  He  declared  that  he  would 
remain  until  their  return  home,  and  that  he  hoped 
to  be  able  to  thank  them  again  most  heartily. 

The  boys  were  a  happy  lot  that  evening.    They 


292  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

attended  a  theater  where  there  was  an  instructive 
show  well  worth  seeing  by  all  scouts.  Indeed, 
Hiram  seemed  to  have  actually  grown  two  inches 
since  morning. 

Of  course  his  chums  gloried  in  his  success; 
so  that  the  rest  of  their  stay  at  the  City  of  the 
Great  Exposition  was  likely  to  be  one  long  pic- 
nic, with  not  a  single  hovering  cloud  to  mar 
their  pleasure. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  293 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

On  the  following  day,  at  the  appointed  hour, 
Hiram  and  his  three  chums  turned  up  at  the 
offices  of  the  Golden  Gate  Aviation  Supply  Com- 
pany, where  the  final  exchanges  were  made. 
Hiram  handed  over  his  papers  to  the  new  owners 
of  his  invention,  and  received  their  check  for 
the  balance  of  the  purchase  price. 

At  Rob's  solicitation  he  proceeded  to  the  city 
and  opened  an  account  at  a  bank,  against  which 
he  could  check  from  time  to  time  as  he  needed 
cash  in  pursuing  his  work. 

Then,  having  now  relieved  themselves  of  all 
source  of  worry  and  anxiety,  the  four  Eagle  Pa- 
trol members  gave  themselves  up  to  the  full  en- 
joyment of  their  holiday. 

What  wonders  they  continued  to  see  as  they 
daily  visited  the  great  Fair,  would  take  volumes 
to  describe.  New  and  amazing  things  were  con- 
stantly cropping  up  as  they  prowled  hither  and 


294  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

thither  through  devious  ways  that  up  to  then 
they  possibly  did  not  know  existed.  There  was 
a  constant  succession  of  surprises  awaiting  them 
with  each  new  day. 

"Why,  I  honestly  believe,"  Tubby  declared 
many  times  as  they  discovered  some  display  that 
up  to  then  had  eluded  them,  "everything  that 
was  thought  of  in  the  whole  world  must  be  in- 
cluded in  the  exhibits  inside  this  enclosure.  I'll 
never  get  over  being  thankful  to  Uncle  Mark 
for  fetching  me  here.  And  to  think  that  I  was 
given  a  chance  to  be  with  the  dearest  chums  any 
scout  ever  had — that's  a  whole  lot  the  best  thing 
of  it  all.  Oh,  it  was  certainly  my  lucky  day 
when  I  decided  to  go  up  on  that  aeroscope,  be- 
cause only  for  that  we  never  might  have  met  at 
all;  and  just  think  what  I  would  have  missed." 

"The  sight  of  Hiram  here  winning  his  prize 
for  one  thing ;  that  was  a  spectacle  for  sore  eyes, 
let  me  tell  you!"  remarked  Andy.  "We're  all 
proud  of  him,  and  we  want  him  to  know  it  too." 

"Then  there  was  that  fire  scare,"  said  Hiram, 
"when  Rob  got  the  blaze  smothered  with  that 
little  extinguisher  before  the  regular  department 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  295 

arrived  on  the  spot — don't  forget  to  count  that 
as  something,  Tubby." 

"And  the  mad  dog  chase,  with  our  leader  again 
demonstrating  what  a  scout  should  be  able  to 
do  when  an  emergency  arises,"  Andy  added. 
"The  poor  dog  got  shot,  but  there  was  no  human 
being  injured  in  the  panic,  which  there  might 
have  been  only  for  the  handsome  way  Rob  coaxed 
the  cur  to  slip  inside  that  inclosure." 

"Yes,"  added  Tubby,  anxious  to  display  his 
view,  "and  we  don't  want  to  forget  about  Jared 
Applegate,  either.  He  gave  us  something  of  a 
racket,  you  remember,  by  sneaking  into  that 
room  at  the  hotel,  and  hiding  under  your  bed 
when  he  heard  us  coming  along  the  hall." 

"It  makes  me  laugh  when  I  remember  how 
he  almost  licked  Rob's  hand,  and  promised  to  be 
good  if  only  he  was  let  go,"  said  Hiram,  rather 
disdainfully. 

"That  sounds  as  if  you  didn't  have  much  faith 
in  Jared's  promises  to  reform?"  said  Rob,  smil- 
ingly. 

"He  never  meant  a  word  of  it,  and  I  know  it!" 
declared  Hiram.  "I  could  see  the  nasty  snap  in 


296  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

his  eyes  just  like  they  used  to  be.  Haven't  we 
known  him  to  crawl  and  make  all  sorts  of  big 
promises  before,  but  always  to  break  the  same 
the  first  chance  he  had?  Huh!  that  money  in 
his  pocket  was  never  earned  honestly,  I'd  like 
to  wager;  and  it  won't  be  used  either  to  carry 
him  back  home." 

"Oh,  well,  he's  left  the  hotel,  which  is  one 
good  thing,"  said  Rob.  "I  thought  it  was  my 
business  to  find  out  this  morning,  for  as  we  knew 
him  to  be  a  thief  it  hardly  seemed  fair  to  keep 
quiet,  and  not  put  a  flea  in  the  ear  of  the  manage- 
ment here." 

"He  saved  you  the  trouble  then  by  skipping 
out  ?"  remarked  Andy. 

"Yes,  I  suppose  he  imagined  we  might  tell  on 
him  as  a  duty,  and  thought  he  had  better  leave 
between  two  days,"  Rob  explained.  "Of  course, 
when  I  learned  he  had  thrown  up  his  job,  been 
paid  off,  and  was  gone,  I  concluded  it  was  no  use 
saying  anything  more  about  it." 

"Like  as  not  Jared's  been  doing  more  than 
one  shady  job  since  he  came  here,"  suggested 
Hiram,  shrewdly,  "and  he  was  afraid  they'd  take 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  297 

him  to  task  for  the  same,  pVaps  shut  him  up  in  a 
cell ;  so  he  concluded  to  get  away  while  the  going 
was  good.  Well,  here's  hoping  we  may  never 
run  across  the  snake  again." 

"I  don't  know,"  ventured  Tubby.  "Seems  like 
there's  some  queer  fatality  about  it,  but  we  do 
come  on  that  scamp  in  the  most  remarkable  ways. 
There  he  was  down  in  Mexico,  and  before  that  at 
Panama.  To  think  that  he'd  be  out  here  where 
the  Big  Show's  going  on,  and  of  all  places  acting 
as  a  porter  in  the  very  hotel  where  we  took  up 
our  quarters." 

'The  pitcher  that  goes  once  too  often  to  the 
well  comes  to  grief,'  they  say,"  mentioned  Rob. 
"If  Jared  keeps  on  bobbing  up  as  he  has  been  do- 
ing, and  getting  in  our  way,  he'll  rue  it  some  time 
or  other." 

As  the  days  came  and  went,  Rob  and  his  three 
chums  certainly  managed  to  have  the  time  of 
their  lives.  If  there  was  one  part  of  that  mam- 
moth Exposition  that  they  failed  to  investigate 
it  was  not  because  they  wasted  any  of  their 
time;  at  least  this  could  be  said  for  Rob  and 


298  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

Tubby,  who  were  most  energetic  in  making  the 
grand  rounds. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  other  two  were  so 
wedded  to  their  idols  that  it  was  not  an  easy 
task  to  tear  them  away;  and  at  times  Rob  had 
to  insist  on  their  accompanying  himself  and 
Tubby  to  other  parts  of  the  inclosure. 

Andy  never  tired  of  watching  the  quaint 
scenes  in  the  Zone,  where  the  tides  of  humanity 
from  all  over  the  world  ebbed  and  flowed  through 
all  the  hours  of  the  day  and  evening.  He  dearly 
loved  to  just  imagine  himself  in  far-distant 
lands,  close  in  touch  with  these  brown  or  yellow 
people.  And  the  resolution  to  become  a  world 
traveler  when  he  grew  to  manhood  seized  hold 
of  Andy  with  renewed  vigor. 

As  for  Hiram,  he  could  not  be  blamed  for 
haunting  that  section  where  his  heart  found  the 
greatest  charm  of  the  entire  Exposition.  Here 
he  pored  over  the  various  ingenious  inventions 
fashioned  in  the  clever  brains  of  the  foremost 
among  the  nation's  talented  men  and  women, 
from  Edison  down  to  the  most  humble. 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  299 

And  Hiram,  having  already  reaped  the  fruits 
of  his  first  venture  in  this  fascinating  field  of 
human  endeavor,  naturally  looked  forward  to  the 
time  when  perhaps  his  name,  too,  might  be  linked 
with  those  for  which  he  felt  such  reverence. 

When  Tubby's  uncle  returned  he  was  well  sat- 
isfied to  go  East  alone  and  leave  his  nephew  in 
such  good  hands. 

During  the  remainder  of  their  stay  in  San 
Francisco  the  boys  never  once  caught  a  glimpse 
of  Jared  Applegate.  If  he  still  remained  in  the 
City  he  made  it  a  point  to  religiously  avoid  meet- 
ing any  of  his  former  school  companions. 

Rob  had  determined  that  he  might  let  the 
crabbed  old  farmer  and  his  wife  know  they  had 
met  Jared  while  on  the  Coast,  so  as  to  ease  their 
minds,  if  they  had  not  heard  from  their  bad  son 
for  a  long  while,  though  he  decided  he  would 
say  nothing  about  the  deplorable  circumstances 
under  which  the  meeting  had  taken  place. 

"I  never  liked  the  old  farmer  and  his  wife/' 
Rob  had  said  to  the  others,  when  they  were  dis- 
cussing the  matter  their  last  evening  at  the  Fair, 


300  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

sitting  at  their  ease,  disposing  of  some  ice  cream, 
and  watching  the  throng  pass  by.  "But  I  sup- 
pose they  have  feelings  like  the  rest  of  us,  and 
in  their  own  way,  care  for  their  boy.  It  would 
only  give  them  a  new  stab  to  be  told  that  Jared 
was  as  bad  as  ever,  and  do  no  good;  so  I  hope 
none  of  you  will  whisper  anything  about  that 
little  episode." 

Being  true  scouts,  and  with  malice  toward 
none,  the  others  readily  agreed  to  do  as  Rob 
asked.  They  could  easily  afford  to  forget  that 
unpleasant  adventure,  since  things  had  turned 
out  so  wonderfully  well  for  them. 

"And  to  think  that  this  is  our  last  night  at 
the  Exposition/'  said  Tubby,  with  a  vein  of  de- 
spondency in  his  voice.  "I  tell  you  I'm  awfully 
sorry,  much  as  I  want  to  see  the  folks  at  home 
again.  Fll  never,  never  forget  all  I've  seen  out 
here,  let  me  tell  you;  for  even  if  half  of  the 
civilized  world  is  at  war  and  killing  each  other 
off  by  tens  of  thousands  each  day,  you'd  never 
know  it  in  this  beautiful  land  of  peace  and 
plenty." 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  301 

"Hear!  hear!  Tubby's  getting  poetical!"  ex- 
claimed Andy,  pretending  to  pound  on  the  table 
with  his  fist. 

"Well,  it's  enough  to  stir  anybody  up  that's 
got  a  soul  for  things  besides  old  fakers  with  red 
fezzes  and  turbans,  who  make  out  to  be  fortune- 
tellers from  Egypt  and  such  places,  when  the 
fact  is  they  were  born  in  Cork  or  Hoboken !"  the 
other  shot  back  at  him. 

"It  is  the  greatest  Fair  that  ever  was  held," 
said  Rob.  "When  we  get  back  home  to  Hamp- 
ton we'll  tell  every  boy  we  know  that  if  he  has 
a  chance  to  come  out  here  and  fails  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  same,  he's  missing  the  treat  of 
his  life,  barring  none !" 

"We  all  can  subscribe  to  what  you  say,  Rob," 
agreed  Tubby. 

"And  that  isn't  all,"  continued  the  scout  leader. 
"Think  of  the  things  wre've  been  allowed  to  put 
through.  There  was  the  fetching  of  that  fragile 
exhibit  all  the  way  across  the  continent,  with- 
out any  accident.  And  Hiram  here  has  struck 
the  first  round  on  the  ladder  of  fame.  Even 


302  THE  BOY  SCOUTS  AT  THE 

that  doesn't  exhaust  the  list  of  our  pleasures, 
because  we've  still  got  another  treat  before  us." 

"Meaning  the  homeward  trip,  I  guess?"  ven- 
tured Hiram. 

"Yes,  when  we  find  ourselves  among  the 
mighty  Rocky  Mountains  that  the  Canadian  Pa- 
cific Railroad  climbs  in  passing  from  Vancouver 
to  the  East,  we  can  feast  our  eyes  on  the  grandest 
natural  jnountain  scenery  of  the  world.  As  for 
me,  I'm  anxious  for  the  time  to  come  when  we'll 
be  enjoying  it." 

As  they  were  starting  for  Vancouver  in  the 
morning,  with  the  intention  of  passing  over  the 
railroad  line  that  pierced  the  famous  Selkirks,  it 
would  seem  that  Rob  would  not  have  long  to 
possess  his  soul  in  patience. 

And  since  they  finished  with  the  Great  Pana- 
ma-Pacific Exposition  on  going  to  their  hotel  that 
night,  it  would  seem  that  this  is  the  proper  place 
for  us  to  say  good-by  to  the  four  chums.  But 
while  our  story  must  end  here,  there  can  be  no 
telling  what  the  future  may  have  in  store  for 
Rob  and  his  comrades  of  the  Eagle  Patrol;  and 
if  fortune  is  kind  enough  to  throw  them  in  the 


PANAMA-PACIFIC  EXPOSITION  303 

way  of  further  adventures  and  triumphs,  we 
hope  ours  may  be  the  pen  selected  to  place  these 
events  before  the  readers  who  have  so  long  ac- 
companied them  in  their  numerous  journeys. 


THE  END. 


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